Heir
by vardogr
Summary: Gang's all here. SG1 and Jonas. Trouble just keeps on coming. From all directions. - Chapter 39's up. Second post for 2011.
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**Heir**

**Genre**: General, Action, Adventure, Missing Scenes

**Season**: Seven

**Summary**: Six months after _Homecoming. _Trouble just keeps on coming - from all directions.

**Disclaimer**: Only thing I own are the DVDs.

**A/N:** I love seeing SG-1 in action both on and above ground, most especially out in space. This is a very poor attempt at trying to describe a dogfight because at the time of writing, the show's writers haven't really gotten into detail with the F-302s; their specs and what they're capable of as yet. Also, I have not been able to watch anything past season two of SGA when I started this. Advance warning: English is not my native language, in case any grammar Nazi is reading this.

**Chapter** **Spoilers**: _Tangent, Redemption pts. 1 & 2, Prometheus_

* * *

_"Anything can happen. The future is never written, only penciled in." – _Dan Simmons, _Endymion_

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

The stars.

Those beautiful, minute, glittering specks of jewel-like quality scattered across the velvety blanket of cold space. Forever twinkling in merriment as they silently looked on at the passage of time. They were the quiet witnesses to the rise and fall of civilizations across the universe; the evolution and the extinction of life, of technology, of ideas; the birth and the inevitable destruction of a planet or entire planetary systems without batting their heavenly eyes.

They were beautiful and at the same time cold, indifferent; hundreds of billions of Ice Queens sitting regally and ever gracefully in their heavenly thrones, never raising a finger to protest the changes occurring around them. It was as if the entire universe was performing a play for their pleasure and they were there only to watch. If they had voices, they had no intention of using it unless it was their time to perish, a heavenly swan song.

These same stars seemed to have shivered as something stirred, like someone in the throes of waking up and finally surfacing from a long, deep, and dreamless slumber. They shivered not of fright, but of eager anticipation. Something was about to happen.

And they were there, as always, to watch.

* * *

**1**

Starfield filled the cockpit of the F-302 as it came out of its third hyperspace jump. Its dull grey surface had a pair of bright, broad red striped painted on both wings, running perpendicular to the body of the craft. The pilot glanced about, watching as the rest of his squadron appeared in twos and threes, sporting the same broad stripes on their sides. So far, so good.

The nine fighters arrived at the light side of the Jupiter, the gas giant giving them ample amounts of cover and interference from long range scanners that might be making a sweep of the immediate vicinity that very moment. He glanced down at his navigation screen. A little adjustment and they'd be good to go.

The pilot only gave a casual sweep of his zero-g surroundings before continuing with his systems check. "All systems checked and good to go," he announced over the built-in boom mic inside his helmet. "Nine?"

_"Hyperdrive is in the green and good to go, Lead."_

The lead pilot glanced at his wingman flying close off to his port side. Cobra Nine was the temporary squadron designation of Maj. Dave Andrews, leader of the Cobras. For this exercise, he happily stepped down from his position in favor of their guest.

USAF Col. Jack O'Neill nodded. At his command, the rest of his squadron reported the same. "Next set of coordinates will be given to you shortly."

_His _squadron. Wow. It's been a while since he'd flown one of these babies, let alone command a squadron of 302s to battle.

Well, it's not actually _a_ battle; more like an exercise - mock dogfight stuff in zero-g.

Still, that didn't stop the adrenaline from pumping into his system, the mounting anticipation made his heart hammer wildly against his chest.

"Alright, Cobras," Jack began. "If anyone need to go to the head now's the time to do it."

Everyone sniggered enthusiastically. Jack allowed himself a little smile. There weren't his kids, but he wanted them to feel comfortable around him so that giving out orders would be a breeze.

When Lt. Gen. Vidrine invited Jack to join the military exercise three days ago, he immediately jumped at the opportunity, getting all giddy when he realized that he get to play with the 302s. He left that very same day for Nevada to get acquainted with the younger jocks he'd be flying with.

He wanted his own team, SG-1, to come along, too. As a matter of fact, he wanted Teal'c to be his wingman, but the big guy was currently of world, Daniel was doing some translations that he simply couldn't put down, and Sam, as always, was busy in her lab, tinkering with something.

The exercise was to take place at the far side of Saturn, far away from prying eyes.

Jack learned earlier on that it became short of a tradition that every time the _Prometheus_ returned to Earth for maintenance and repairs, its permanent squadron of eight F-302s would be pitted against the best 302 squadron Earth had to offer. Currently, there were six active fighter squadrons of twelve interceptors each.

So far, Icarus Squadron had won the games three years running and the Earth-based squadrons were becoming dispirited. Vidrine figured it was time to call for backup, and what more to help boost their men's morale than to have Jack O'Neill join in as an active participant in the games. That would definitely help them with the motivation part, adding that they had to tamper Icarus' ego down some.

What really got Jack to agree in the first place was the thought of being able to fly again; the 302 was only an added bonus. He missed it. He missed the speed, the rush, the freedom, the exhilaration of being up there. Although Jack was already tied and wholly committed to Stargate Command, flying was and would always be his first love, which was the main reason why he joined this particular branch of the military.

_"It's revenge time, Cobras," _a male pilot quipped in a grave voice.

_"Yeah, Six," _another replied. _"Remember the last time? Flattened us without mercy."_

Another growled. _"Do you have to make us remember _that_ again, Five?" _The husky female voice belonged to Lt. Emily Stowe, squadron designation Cobra Three. She was one of two female pilots in the team. _"It was embarrassing enough to think about it, and yet here you go telling the colonel something which you shouldn't even be talking about if you have any sense of dignity left in you."_

_"Well, that is if he even had one in the first place,"_ said another.

Cobra Four, Jack guessed, chuckled. _"Three's such a sore loser."_

_"Hey, I wasn't the one-"_

Jack switched his comm off to address his navigator. "Alright back there, Mullen?"

"Yes, sir," Mullen replied, calculating their next hyperspace jump. "Just a minute more, colonel."

Jack had the chance to read the Cobra's personnel files before meeting them. According to USAF Lt. Tom Mullen's file, he was the youngest member of the team, assigned to Cobra Squadron three months ago as navigator/gunner. He was particularly showing promise in astronavigation, charting and plotting courses twice as fast with "infinitesimal error" in his calculations. The colonel mused what it would be like if Mullen and Carter ever got together.

The young man was quite reserved and he never flaunted his achievements - unlike most jocks his age, all smug about their superiority. He looked so unassuming, an average Joe, that one wouldn't think he had multiple PhDs in his belt. But Mullen always had a ready smile on his face, was easily approachable, and friendly. It kind of reminded Jack of someone he used to have on his team once.

"Take your time, lieutenant," Jack assured him. He'd only given the kid enough time to plot a course until Jupiter, saying that the kid do the Math-thing for the last jump along the way. As Sam had told him again and again, plotting a hyperspace jump was very risky business. A carelessly made calculation would end up with either the travelers in pieces, inside somewhere where they shouldn't be, or find themselves colliding against a planet or some other. A very nasty way to die.

He turned the comm on again just in time to hear the last part of Three's speech.

_"-ore he could even execute the most basic of evasive maneuvers," _Three icily said in that cool detached manner of hers that earned her the nick "Ice" among her peers. _"Even my doofus of a kid brother could do it much better than you on a game console."_

Laughter exploded inside the cockpit. Someone cackled out in glee, another hooted.

_"Ouch! Ice drew first blood."_

Someone else chuckled - was it Cobra Two? _"Way to go, Four. Any last words?"_

Another round of laughter rang out.

Jack could picture Cobra Four, Lt. Mark Allston, reddening around the neck. _"That's because they got loads of zero-g fly time unlike us,"_ he protested, clearly sulking at the wash down he received from his squadron mate.

It was true. Icarus Squadron had lots of time honing their skills out there while those on ground were not as privileged. There's a huge difference between flying at high altitudes and flying out in open space. The former was still bound to the laws of gravity.

_"They just got lucky the last time,"_ inserted Cobra Seven. Jack definitely identified the speaker as Lt. Kate Walters, the other female member of the team, her voice a lot like Sam's. _"We won't be so lenient with them this time."_

Cobra Two, Capt. Carl Bauer cheered at this. _"Hear! Hear!"_

This was the squadron's second attempt at winning the exercise and could hardly wait for retribution. Just then Mullen announced their course set and ready, and with Jack's permission began transmitting it to everyone's terminals.

_"Everybody got it?"_ Cobra Nine asked a few minutes later. Seven affirmations went back to him. Jack felt a little guilty at the sacrifice the major did, but after some reassurances from both Andrews and Bauer, and seeing what the Cobras were capable of, Jack had to admit that he couldn't wait to see them in action. He wanted to share the leadership with Andrews since he knew his people more than Jack did. The major's input would be helpful as well.

Jack O'Neill cleared his voice. "Squadron, come about 163 degrees and depress 28 degrees," he made the same adjustments. "Jump in two."

_"Uh, Lead," _Seven's voice crackled over the radio. _"We're ten minutes ahead of schedule. They may not like being caught with their suits down."_ She tried to mask the mirth in her voice.

"All the more reason _not _to keep them waiting, Seven," Jack replied, letting his amusement flow through. The others sniggered again, highly anticipating this engagement. Who could blame them?

Jack glanced up at his wingman who gave him a thumbs up sign. Jack nodded in reply.

They were battle ready.

Next stop - the far side of Saturn.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Spoiler: **_Prometheus_

* * *

**2**

"There she is kids," Jack announced. "The _Prometheus._"

Their mission objective on this exercise was simple enough. They were to engage her fighters and attempt to "shoot" the cruiser down. Just one ping at a designated area of the starship and it's over. Pretty straightforward, except they not only had to dodge and avoid Icarus Squadron's line of fire, but they must also avoid the big guns from the _Prometheus _herself.

This was not a live-fire exercise, so they had the fighters stripped off of its weapons and ammunitions. In turn, a special program was installed into their onboard targeting computers. The Target-Aggressor Tracker System or TATS was designed to kick in whenever a fighter was tagged or "shot" down. The defeated fighter's weapons systems would automatically shut down, making the craft incapable of further participating in the exercise. They had to immediately leave the field of battle or points would be deducted from the overall score if not followed.

Cobra Squadron arrived a fair distance away from the cruiser that was in high orbit at the edge of Saturn's outer ring. Mullen detected no heightened activity within the vessel. "No weapons trained on us."

Jack grinned. Boy, he wanted to see the look on Ronson's face when he finds them in his scanners. He took the opportunity to do a final systems check. He frowned at the display. "Seven, you're lagging behind." The transponder blip that identified Seven's fighter was a bit off from the rest of them. "Is there a problem?"

_"Port stabilizer seems to be acting up, Lead."_

Uh-oh.

_"Want to sit this one out, Seven?"_ Maj. Andrews asked, voicing out Jack's concern.

_"What, and let you guys have all the fun? I said it was acting up. I didn't say it wasn't working."_

_"Lead, this is Two. I'll stay with Seven if that's okay?" _Capt. Bauer suggested, quickly adding, _"We don't want to give the enemy an advantage."_

Captain's got a point. "Okay, I'm pairing you up with Two," Jack said. Seven began to protest. _"And no buts, lieutenant."_

"Launch bays opened," Mullen warned. "Nine bogeys deployed. Intercept course."

_So they did manage to find a way to fit a ninth 302 in her hangar._

_"Nine here," _Andrews said. _"Any last minute advice, colonel?"_

Jack chanced a look at his targeting system. At fourteen clicks, the Icarus squadron began to separate.

"Choose your targets, but watch out for the cruiser's guns. If you get a clear shot of the _Prometheus_, take it. But don't do it at your own expense. If Icarus is as good as they say we need to stay alive for as long as possible, so no heroics. I know you have a few tricks up your sleeves, so use it to your advantage."

A series of clicks came through his radio, signifying his squadron's understanding.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Jack grinned behind his mask. "Have fun."

Jack pushed his throttle up to full power and shot forward. The others followed suit.

Mullen was feeding him tactical. The range indicator dropped numbers and digits as he closed in on his intended prey. As long as they steered clear of the _Prometheus' _firing range, they were safe.

He took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly. He could feel sweat trickle down the palms of his hands beneath the black leather gloves, but resisted the urge to wipe them on his pant legs.

_Pull yourself together, Jack. This isn't the first time you've done this._

Of course this wouldn't be easy. Going head-to-head with another F-302, having the same speed and maneuverability, was more difficult and challenging. Only difference was the pilots that controlled them.

At two klicks, the HUD painted a yellow box around the bogey, a 302 with a pair of green broad stripes on its sides. As Jack was about to tag the ship, it jinked and cut away to starboard.

Following the enemy through his turn and immediate barrel roll, Jack kept the throttle full forward. Leveling out, he once again attempted to get a lock at the fighter, but it dove beneath his line of fire.

Determined not to lose his quarry, the colonel shoved his stick forward to follow, but a blip on his tracking monitor caught his attention.

"Six, break hard port!" Jack yelled at the same time aborting his dive. _"Get out of there!"_

Cobra Six had wandered dangerously close to the _Prometheus, _being herded in by the enemy 302.

The seconds it took for Jack to warn his squadron mate was all the time the other fighter needed to come back up and bank in on his tail.

A shout from Mullen together with the wail of the lock-threat mechanism in the background made Jack reflexively invert his ship and dive without thinking. The enemy fighter over shot above him as the colonel pulled out of the dive; he yanked his stick back and to port.

"Still there, sir!" Mullen exclaimed. Their radar was still detecting the enemy, but it was nowhere to be found. The young man began frantically looking out the canopy trying to catch a glimpse of their prey, all the while muttering under his breath, "Where is he? _Where is he?_"

Jack tried to drown out the cacophony of sounds inside the cockpit as he made a series of dizzying twists, rolls, dives, and turns trying to shake the still invisible enemy off his tail. He stamped down the bile that was threatening to force its way to his mouth. It would be an irreparable damage to his ego if he was going to be the first "casualty" of the game.

"Mullen, can you minimize the warning system?" Jack raised his voice a notch higher above the din. "I _know_ we're being targeted."

_"We lost Eight,"_ Nine gravely informed him.

He snapped his head to check his scanners. _Damnit!_ They lost a squadron mate early in the game. Not good, but not bad either. Jack had better take care of it as soon as -

Then Mullen cried out, "I see him! I see him! Six klicks aft to starboard."

Jack drove the 302 into a wide barrel roll before turning hard to port, the other ship easily mimicking his maneuvers. He began to weave in and out of the enemy's line of fire. He's had enough playing around. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

_"Need a hand, Lead?"_ It was Cobra Three.

"Negative," Jack responded as another series of wailings began. His second cursed rather colorfully behind him. Three was a long ways away from him, but no so from the others. "But you can give the others a hand. Four seems like he needs one right now."

There was a moment's silence. "Copy that."

_This guy's good, _Jack thought in passing, continuing is evasive maneuvers. Seeing the other ship closing in fast, Jack centered and hauled back up on stick, tightening his turn considerably and jamming his body down his seat.

The 302 shot across the enemy's line of flight barely twenty meters from the grey and green craft. Yanking the stick to starboard, Jack rolled the fighter 180 degrees. He then pulled the stick back to him, bringing the 302's nose up in another turn that reversed his previous course. Leveling the fighter out, Jack sailed in right on the enemy's tail - his long S-turn having allowed him to let it over shot him by a fair distance.

Jack didn't give the other pilot time to do anything else as his targeting box turned red.

_But he's no O'Neill._

Tag.

"You're dead."

His second let out a yell quickly followed by an apology as the lieutenant composed himself. Jack merely smiled as they watched the defeated 302 turn tail and headed towards the _Prometheus_. He made a wide sweep to starboard as he assessed the situation, Mullen feeding him tactical.

Besides Eight, Four and Five were gone. Six Cobras against seven Icarus.

The reds and greens seemed to merge with the grey in one huge blurry fashion as Jack flew past other fighters locked in a deadly dance in the cold vacuum of space.

"Uh, colonel…" Mullen had every reason to worry as they inched dangerously close to the cruiser's kill zone. The _Prometheus_ was just floating there seemingly harmless, a humongous carrot dangling right in front of them.

The lock-threat system kicked in for the second time.

_I'll deal with you yet, _Jack silently vowed, looking grimly at Ronson's beloved ship. He knew that her captain and crew could see the 302 from the bridge and that's exactly what he wanted.

He engaged his throttle to full as they headed back to rejoin the battle. They may be outnumbered, but the battle was far from over.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Cheers and shouts greeted them as the canopy retracted to let both pilots out. Mullen almost jumped directly down the tarmac with barely controlled glee. Jack took off his helmet before going down the ladder pushed in by one of the air traffic controllers.

The Cobras ran out to meet them, wide grins plastered on their faces. The kid received hugs from the women, playful pats and hair-ruffling from the men. Jack hung back and just watched them at it. He and the kid came in last, herding the others back to Earth.

One of them detached himself from the group and marched purposely towards him. Andrews stood in attention as Jack returned his salute.

"Thank you, sir," Andrews said, face splitting in a huge smile, extending a gloved hand towards his senior officer.

"For what?" Jack asked, clasping the proffered hand readily.

"For the support, colonel."

Jack gave him a nonchalant shrug. "Hey, I was just along for the ride. It was you guys who got the most kills." Jack nodded towards the noisy group a few feet away. It was true that he had two kills, but that was beside the point. He fished out his dark aviator glasses from his breast pocket and puts it on. "I have to say what a fine squadron you have here, major. Take good care of them." Maybe, Jack silently mused, they _were _lenient the last time.

The Cobra Squadron leader smiled as he said, "The gang will be celebrating in a short while, colonel. It would be our pleasure if the honorary member comes. My treat."

"Well, if you put it that way," Jack adjusted the baseball cap on his head. "How can I say no then?"

The Cobras began walking across the tarmac, regaling the rest of their squadron mates left on Earth a blow by blow account of the exercise. Looking at them, it was clear to see that these people shared the same bond that he and his own teammates had. It's what makes a unit stand out, become special, more like family. It made him want to see his own team again.

"You know, sir. If you feel like you want to take her out for a spin, we'd be happy to accommodate you," Andrews said, nodding at the fighter beside them. He turned to follow his men, but turned back around to add, "Drop by anytime."

Jack smiled. He turned around to look at the F-302 behind him. He squinted brown eyes up at it as he unconsciously touched one of the fighter's sloping wings in a loving caress. It was a joy riding her and hoped that he'd have another shot at it soon. It was like seeing an old flame again, a first love. But times have changed since the first time he entered the Air Force and he now had other responsibilities calling him away. As much as Jack would love to stay, he knew he could not.

Time to get back to reality. Time to get back to "the wife and kids". But not after a bit of celebration.

Something made him turn around. He was surprised to see Maj. Andrews and the rest of the squadron patiently waiting for him in the middle of the dry tarmac under the hot, unforgiving Nevada sun. He gave the 302 one last look.

"See ya around," Jack O'Neill whispered softly, patting the wing lightly before finally walking away.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **This one focuses on Jonas and whatever he's been doing ever since returning back to Kelowna. Thank you to _straitjackit_ and _Pike2_ for the feedbacks.

**Chapter Spoiler: **_Redemption

* * *

_

**3**

"Ambassador," a voice called out from the crowded foyer the young man had just left behind.

The young man in question groaned inwardly as he jutted out his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. He does _not_ need this right now. He and his aide were set to leave for Ynaeya in a few moments to attend a Council meeting there. He continued walking forward hoping against hope that he was not the one that that voice was calling out to.

"Ambassador Quinn," the voice called out again, this time a bit nearer.

Of course he had known all along that it was him the person was calling. There was only one Council member residing in Kelowna. Exhaling a breath before turning, Jonas Quinn, ambassador of Kelowna to the Joint Ruling Council made quite an effort to smile. He seemed to find it hard to smile nowadays, ever since coming back but no one seemed to notice. Well, no one really noticed him much except when he was needed.

"Professor Vinril," he greeted, brows up in surprise. Jonas thought it had been one of those _annoying_ reporters that had been hounding him since this morning.

The middle-aged man finally managed to huff his way over to Jonas. One hand on a silver walking stick and the other holding a portfolio that had seen better days with sheets of paper protruding from it, as if they were shoved inside haphazardly. Although hunched a bit, the professor was still a head taller than Jonas. He took two gulps of air before starting. "It is good that I have managed to catch you before you leave," he said. "I was hoping to give you this beforehand."

"You shouldn't have, professor."

The professor shook his graying head. "No. I wanted you to see it first, ambassador. After all, this project was your brainchild. I figured you had the right to know before the others do."

One of his first acts since he came back was to push through with the weather project, seeing how the people of Earth benefited from such a device and he wanted to share it with his people. He even wished to improve their computer system and to set up a Langaran version of the internet. But the Council was taking too much of his time right now that he could only manage one project at a time.

Next was installing Vinril as head of the project. That was the _easy_ part. The professor couldn't possibly dream of letting this kind of opportunity slip away. Whether sanctioned by their government or not, Vinril still wanted in. He had too much time on his hands and was not getting any younger. Jonas had to agree. Such a great mind need not be left to waste as time went by.

Jonas looked at Vinril as if stung. "Please, professor, call me Jonas." It was too formal and too indifferent between friends and Jonas would have none of that.

The aged professor gave a hearty laugh. Despite his advancing years, his voice remained the same: baritone-like and booming. It made Jonas remember his years in college, sitting in an amphitheater-like classroom, listening to the man teach something equivalent to Earth's astrophysics.

Professor Aradaean Vinril was a most trusted friend and colleague of the late Dr. Keiran. In fact, Vinril was one of the few people to have welcomed Jonas back from his self-imposed exile, becoming somewhat of a mentor and a friend to him. The slightly balding man was like Dr. Kieran in a lot of ways and Jonas, with a pang of regret, missed the kind and gentle scientist who had been like a second father to him.

He was a teacher first, scientist second. Vinril wanted to pass his knowledge to the next generation and treated all his students like his own children since he'd never had any of his own. He would've been on the naquadria project, but circumstances prevented him from accepting it. It was a blessing in disguise, since the lack of proper equipment destroyed many of the most brilliant minds in the country.

The old man's eyes were filled with mirth as he looked down at the young man's dark green ones. "Always the humble one, eh, Jonas?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not really _that_ comfortable with this position." Jonas said with a wry grin.

"Ah, but you have always been passionate about making some changes for the good of Langara," Vinril reminded, turning serious. "Knowing the sacrifices one should make in order to reach that goal." He firmly clasped the young man's shoulder. The same shoulders that were now carrying the heavy burden of responsibility that was usually given to a more seasoned politician. Responsibility he knew Jonas was capable of handling, although at times, too much was expected of him. "It's sad I never got to know your father, but I do know for sure that he and Keiran would be proud of you," Vinril added solemnly. "As am I."

He was rewarded with a relaxed grin before Jonas began sifting through the jumbled papers.

They were in a section of the government building where access was strictly for the use of Kelowna's high-ranking government officials only. There were four elevators, two on each side of the spacious corridor that faced each other. The farthest two were for the politicians and their personal aides. They could be easily spotted by the small number keypads within the niches of the elevator doors. The two others that were nearer to the entrance were for guests and foreign dignitaries.

There weren't that too many people around that particular corridor at that time of day. A blessing since Jonas had to shuffle some of them to make a semblance of order before reading what seemed to be a very ink-smudged, worn-looking draft of a blueprint.

"Professor…" Jonas stuttered as he shifted over the papers. So engrossed with the material in his hands that he did not notice the huge smile blossoming on the other's wrinkled face and the twinkle in his pale grey eyes. "This is… this is…" it was a rare occasion that Jonas found himself at a loss for what to say.

"The _Enosh,_" Vinril finished for him. When Jonas finally looked up, the smile went wider at the confounded look on the ambassador's face.

Jonas studied the papers once again. "It's finished." He mumbled, not believing what he was looking at.

"I was surprised myself. You know how hard a time we had on trying to incorporate the naquadria as its main power source. And then when I woke up this morning, it hit me."

"Eureka," Jonas said, more excitedly. The scientist looked at him curiously. "It's an exclamation used back on Earth," he said. "Of triumph at a discovery. It's a Greek word meaning "I have found it."."

Vinril harrumphed. "Eureka… I like the sound of that."

"You think we've really hit it this time, professor?"

Now, this was the Jonas Quinn Vinril knew as he detected a sudden lilt in the young man's voice. His face animated.

"If it functions? Then theoretically, yes. But we still have a long way to go before we can really say that it works."

Jonas nodded distractedly. He remembered the first time he approached First Minister Dreylock with the idea. She seemed genuinely interested in it but many of Kelowna's government officials quickly opposed the project saying that it was a waste of Kelowna's 'precious' resources. Dreylock quickly saw the potential of having such a device but was also careful not to openly oppose the others, so she'd given Jonas' team a deadline to produce a blueprint for the proposed weather satellite. Only then would she make the decision on whether or not she would allow them to continue the project.

Jonas was okay with that. At least, they were given a fighting chance. And so they, together with more than a dozen scientists that they'd managed to convince between the two of them, began brainstorming back in his house until the wee hours of the morning. It came as a surprise that a lot of them were willing to voluntarily work on a project this ambitious.

And they'd made it. Everything they'd went through finally bore fruit. It's all that mattered. It took them long enough, but they made it. With a few weeks to spare.

The sudden excitement Jonas felt was dampened by another problem, bigger than the first one; putting it on paper was one thing, building it was another and quite costly.

As if reading his thoughts, Vinril said out loud, "Funding may be a problem _if_ Dreylock decides to terminate the project… well, we'll just have to scrounge up the parts from somewhere, I guess." Smiling at Jonas reassuringly.

Yes, that was one way of putting it.

"Thank you for letting me know, professor." Jonas smiled. "See you in a couple of hours." He was about to hand back the _Enosh _to Vinril but the professor stopped him.

"It is yours to keep, young man. I have my own copy back in my office."

Jonas frowned a bit. "But… this is the original draft, isn't it?"

"Yes," Vinril answered, "and that's all the more reason for _you_ to have it."

As Jonas watched Vinril's retreating back, he unconsciously tapped the old man's gift against his thigh. The professor was right. If Dreylock decided to pull the plug on the _Enosh _project, the lack of funding would effectively halt all operations.

But if this ever pushed through, if _Enosh _were to become a reality, then Jonas had to swallow some of his pride, if it needs be, to be able to make his dream for Kelowna a possibility.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Spoiler: **_The Fifth Race

* * *

_

**4**

Linguist and archaeologist, Dr. Daniel Jackson blinked with bleary eyes against the soft glare of his table lamp. Disoriented as to where he was, the archaeologist rubbed at his eyes, trying to remove the remains of sleep as he straightened in his chair. He looked around the almost darkened room, rubbing his stomach absent-mindedly, as he yawned. He'd fallen asleep in his office at Stargate Command... again.

He fumbled around for his glasses and sleepily put them on. Daniel blinked several times more as he looked down at the stacks of colored photographs in front of him. The last thing he remembered was going through them; cataloguing which goes where while trying to translate them at the same time. He was scheduled to give a report to Gen. Hammond in the morning. He chanced a look at his watch, eyes widening in horror. Unless it had broken down since the last time he checked, it was already past two in the morning.

He hadn't been home for days now ever since this whole thing had started. Daniel had been unable to completely translate the inscriptions that SG-20 had brought in _six_ days ago. It was one of the most puzzling inscriptions he'd come across in all the years that he'd been with the Program. And he was starting to get frustrated by the lack of progress.

P3Y-806 was one of the Ancient Gate addresses Col. Jack O'Neill had entered into the system's database five years ago when he went all 'Ancient' on them. It was also one of the addresses they never could get a lock on. But that never stopped them from making routine checks, however, with the hope that whatever it was that preventing them from establishing a wormhole would somehow magically unclog itself from the gate some day.

Their efforts finally paid off when Maj. Sam Carter managed to connect with '806's Stargate six days ago. Daniel hadn't been there to witness it, being cooped up in his office as usual, and would not have had the slightest of ideas if not for the PA system announcing his name overhead requesting his presence in the control room. The M.A.L.P had immediately been readied for its journey and after a few tense moments, they'd got their very first glimpse of what lay beyond the other side of the Gate.

Contrary to popular belief, P3Y-806 looked exactly how a habitable planet should be. Moderate temperature, breathable air, normal radiation levels and, as Jack had exclaimed beside him, _trees_! Lots and lots of trees. Daniel hadn't been able to stop himself from pointing it out to his friend that trees were an important indication of a planet's healthy biosphere, capable of supporting various kinds of life form like Earth. That had earned him a reproachful look from Jack along with a grumpy "I know that!" reply into which the scientist had only rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Sam had began to wonder what might have been the cause of all the times they were unable to dial P3Y-806 in the past. She'd wanted to investigate further but SG-1 had been scheduled for a physical that afternoon and couldn't leave the base without Dr. Fraiser's all-clear. Teal'c had his postponed until he got back from the Alpha Site.

The U.A.V had been launched after the M.A.L.P. It'd detected no tell-tale sign of civilization within a twenty-mile radius of the Stargate. An emergency briefing had come next. SG-20 was assigned to do the recon and had left an hour later.

Meanwhile, Jack had left for Nevada; invited there by Gen. Vidrine for a three-day military deep space exercise. He was scheduled to return that morning and if he even got so much as a _whiff_ of the fact that Daniel had been working almost non-stop, he was going to be in _big_ trouble.

Well, he wasn't really that worried about Jack. He could handle the colonel fine. He had six years under his belt to prove it too. But Maj. Samantha Carter was a whole, different story. If Sam found out that he hadn't heeded her order to pack up and head home, instead dozing off again amidst his paperwork, God knows what she'd do to him.

And speaking of dozing off, Daniel was trying to remember the dream he'd had before something woke him up. But the more he tried to remember, the more it slipped through his grasp. Frowning, Daniel vaguely remembered being some place very familiar and that he was having a conversation with someone. Whatever that conversation was Daniel had no idea. It wasn't bad or anything like that. It felt like he'd had that dream before but _what_ that certain dream was continued to elude him.

The Gate klaxon blaring overheard nearly made Daniel jump from his chair.

"_Attention, all personnel! Off world activation… unknown source!"_

He hastily stood up, all traces of sleep effectively driven away, and in the process nearly tripped over when his foot connected with the trash bin beside his desk.

Receiving incoming wormholes in the wee hours of the morning were not that common an event. After all his years working at SGC though, he was still not used to seeing only a handful of SGC personnel manning the control room. The almost absolute silence was kind of weird for him since he was used to seeing it so crowded and so... noisy.

As he entered the darkened control room, there were only two base personnel there: a Gate operator and a Gate tech both wearing blue coveralls. They nodded a greeting at him.

The alarm was muffled a bit inside as he stood beside Sgt. Rourke sitting at Sgt. Harriman's usual chair in front of the control board. He glanced at the iris-covered Stargate with its seven chevrons lit, blazing a brilliant, fiery red . To Daniel's knowledge, no SG team was due back for another two days. "What is it?"

"Incoming radio transmission, Dr. Jackson." Rourke said, typing away at one of the operations keyboard that flanked the Gate dialing console.

The young man glanced down at one of the monitors, crossing his arms on his chest. "Anyone we know?"

Rourke pressed the earpiece closer to his ear, listening intently before finally looking up at Daniel. "It's the Langarans, sir."

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

She stood motionless, silently watching the tableau unfolding in front of her from the darkened recesses of the spacious room. Only her blue eyes, the color of the sea, moved to observe them. One was sitting on the throne with his back to her. The other was kneeling, head bowed, giving a report.

They'd been talking for quite a while now, the latter had been in that same position since he'd entered the room. She wondered if his knees had never gone numb. She would have to ask him one of these days.

Neither of them glanced her way, something that she didn't really mind at all. Her presence there was not for the benefit of the visitor and she was only half-interested in their discussion. She had been trained to be that way. It was not her place to listen in on other people's conversations except when it concerned the one person she'd given her allegiance to. That would be the only time she'd make it _her _business.

She let her lids fall languorously halfway down her eyes as she closely studied the First Prime Kalen. It was not with loving eyes that swept the figure of the Jaffa a few feet away. That emotion was beyond her. Rather it was a cold and calculating assessment of his body language, the tone of his voice, his facial expressions and ever searching for any possible weapons that could be hidden on his person.

First Prime he may be but she was not one to take chances when it came to Him. She trusted no other with His safety. Her word was her bond and to that bond she would remain until the end of her life. Or rather this life.

Although they had been incommunicado with the rest of the galaxy for centuries, news still reached them, via agents and other means. A Jaffa rebellion had cropped up over the years and two of its founders were former First Primes of the Goa'uld Apophis. How could she be sure that Kalen wouldn't do the same?

They had made themselves independent from the Collective. Those bickering, jealous-driven, power-hungry Goa'uld upstarts who style themselves System Lords were not worthy of their Master's attention. She had never seen such lowly actions before. Not even in the time of Ra the Usurper.

She saw Kalen rise up. She regarded the Jaffa once again. Her distrust of the soldier was mutual and both did not even attempt to hide it from the other. She sneered. Amazingly, Kalen was a tad possessive of their Master's attention and was a bit miffed at the idea of having to "share" Him with her.

Kalen was enormous even by Jaffa standards. Two-point-two meters in height and only around ninety years old. Brown-skinned, barrel-chested with well-muscled arms and legs.

As she watched him, another image swam into focus in her mind's eye. Tall, fair-skinned, wavy dark golden hair, lean and sinewy. A smile so gentle that if she concentrated hard enough she could clearly see the way the muscles pulled at the corners of his mouth…

"Keep me apprised of the situation, Kalen."

The First Prime bowed. Then faced her before bowing hesitantly.

She bowed her head a notch, but not before raising one delicate brow. She doubted if Kalen even saw it. She waited for the Jaffa to leave the room before going near the still sitting figure. "You think it is a wise move?" she drawled beside Him. "If this is ever found out, he would certainly want retribution."

If it was another Goa'uld, she would've been killed instantly for her insolence. Thankfully, He was not like those of his kind, but still no one dared use that tone with Him. Well, except her, of course.

"Oh, I hardly doubt that," the figure said, not turning in her direction. "No one subjected to the device had ever remembered anything."

"Knowing your 'old friend', he has his own unconventional ways to extract information like you do."

He let out a hollow laugh. He shifted a little in his seat before continuing. "And what of your mission? Kalen informed me that you have encountered a problem."

"A _slight _problem," she corrected. Kalen never missed an opportunity to make her look bad in front of him.

"Well?"

She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "One of Merenptah's Goa'uld overseers evaded capture. For a while at least."

"Is he dead?"

"He now wished he was. I threw him along with the other prisoners in the mines. But not after I had a little fun with him."

He chuckled. "What about the _meshtyw_? Did they function as planned?"

"Seamlessly, my lord."

Her master nodded once. "One more piece information to gather and my re-emergence to the galaxy will soon be unstoppable."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I admit that it has been slow going for a while. Long narrations and little or no dialogues at all. A friend of mine once said that a lot of readers tend to skip the narrations and go on with the dialogues. Yeah, narratives can be boring most of the time. Even I had to agree on that. But it can be very helpful, especially to someone like me whose having a hard time with dialogues. Maybe you're beginning to wonder when's the real action gonna start. I'll see if I can post Chapter 6 much earlier than I originally plan to.

**Reminder:** If the episode "Fallout" never happened and if there are more than 3 countries on Langara.

**Chapter Spoiler:** _Homecoming_ (Missing Scenes)

* * *

**5**

Jonas Quinn had been to a total of three meetings that day: the first was with his ambassadorial staff concerning what resolutions to put forth to the Council. The second was with the Joint Ruling Council meeting held on the neutral grounds in Ynaeya after lunch. That went on for hours, much to Jonas' dismay. And lastly, his meeting with his _Enosh _project staff.

Jonas had no doubt that Dreylock would give them the go signal for it. But he couldn't say the same for the others. Although the Kelownan government had conceded in allowing Jonas Quinn to return home and represent them in the Joint Ruling Council upon request, they still did not trust him. Most especially his ideas and ideals – stating that most of them were more Earth-like than Kelownan.

And throwing the _Enosh _project right back at him would be the ultimate blow that they could deliver. And they _could_ do that since the project was still undisclosed to the public. A way to get back at him when he so adamantly refused to divulge anything of Earth's weaponry and military technology.

Jonas kneaded his brows as he leant back in his chair. Closing his eyes, he sighed. He'd been at this for only six months and yet he already felt like he'd gained twenty years in his life. This was far more stressing than Gate travel. At least then you knew who your enemies were. Having thought of that, he suddenly missed Dr. Fraiser's mother hen episodes or Sam's big sister antics whenever any of them detected something wrong with him.

The first three months back were heightened with tension. The traitor callings had been a constant thing in his everyday life as he tried to get himself acquainted with his new role back in Kelowna. It was an open secret what Jonas had done in the past, not even acknowledging his and SG-1's major participation in fending off Anubis' attack on their planet. The only thing that had kept him from any physical harm was the fact that he had a strong supporter in Dreylock.

In the fourth month, however, some things had started to change. A few of the younger members of the government actually began befriending him. Although still a bit wary of their true motives, Jonas still clung to the hope that things would change for the better.

His meeting with the _Enosh _staff had ended a few minutes ago. Jonas was thankful for the peace and quiet given to him at last and decided on dining out on some place peaceful, where no one would recognize him.

But where? Jonas rubbed his stubbled jaw. He'd started grooming it two weeks ago, experimenting on looking more mature and serious. A disguise he could even hide behind whenever he wanted to venture outside. Being the youngest to ever hold such high position within the government, he was constantly being hounded by the press. Besides, Jonas wanted to try another look for a change and if he did not like the results, he only needed to shave it off within seconds with the gift Teal'c had given him a few months after coming to Earth.

The battery-powered shaver in question was now lying along with the other Earthly gifts from his friends and family at SGC. Mostly they were books of all kinds. Jonas did not care if they were nursery rhymes or ancient history or politics or quantum physics. Everyone at the base knew of his insatiable quest to absorb and acquire knowledge as much as he could. But there were also those who gave him not just books.

His last days at Stargate Command were the most memorable. Dr. Janet Fraiser had bought him five large boxes of his favorite tea. Cassie made a photo album of everyone and everything she knew Jonas would certainly miss. Sam was the one who introduced him to the usefulness of hair gel and had been sending him a regular supply of it ever since. Teal'c meanwhile bought him a box of batteries for the shaver and his preferred brand of candles he used for kel'no'reem. Sgts. Harriman and Siler gave him a miniature galleon ship inside a bottle that Jonas quickly fell in love with at first sight.

And last but not the least, the visits from Dr. Jackson and Colonel O'Neill.

The archaeologist merely stayed for a few minutes wanting to have a word with him about the events of the previous days. Dr. Jackson expressed his guilt about the entire situation leading to Jonas' departure from SGC. He wanted very much to be friends with Jonas but they were not given the opportunity to become so. At that moment, Jonas felt like they had known each other far longer than their first meeting back at the research facility. The way they talked, it certainly felt like they had been long-time friends. It felt good. He even joked that if Jonas ever got into trouble with his government again, he could always come right back anytime.

What Jonas had not been expecting was to find the colonel standing at the threshold of his quarters a few minutes before he was scheduled to leave. Col. O'Neill had, as going away presents, handed Jonas two things: a pair of military-issued dog tags with his name and other personal information on them. Jonas had always wanted a set but Sam had explained that the tags were for military personnel only. And the other something was what both he and Gen. Hammond wanted the Kelownan to have.

"Not a request," his would-be ex-CO had said, before Jonas could utter a word. "That's an order and that's final. You'll never know when you're going to need it," he'd added, after had Jonas found out what the other gift was.

At first Jonas didn't want to accept it, thinking that he would never have the chance to use it but Jack insisted and had extracted a promise from him not to tell anyone about it. Jonas had thanked him profusely. With that said the colonel had flashed a weak grin that didn't quite reached his honey brown eyes before shrugging his shoulders and leaving him alone.

He used to bring the gift in question wherever he went. But now that things were starting to change, however slowly, Jonas now always put it somewhere near and easily accessible and known only to him.

The dog tags he wore still and had no intention of ever taking them off. Jonas reached up with his right hand and pressed it against the twin pieces metals he wore on a silver chain around his neck, a habit he developed whenever he felt like he needed an anchor to steady his world. The familiar sensation of the metals resting against his breastbone made him smile remembering what the colonel said about him being a member of SG-1 and should behave accordingly 'out there.' Besides, they made him feel close to them and the planet that he had called home for almost two years.

Someone gently knocked on his office door. Jonas knew who it was even before his visitor could show himself. "Come in, Rhougan."

His personal aide, Rhougan Dubois entered. "Ambassador," he greeted. As ever, he had his clipboard with him. He kept all of the young man's appointments and daily schedules in order and made them all strictly confidential and zealously guards them like a mother protecting her young. "The First Minister is extending an invitation to dine with her this evening at the Ministry Palace in one hour."

Jonas sighed. So much for having that peace and quiet he so desperately wanted. "Tell First Minister Dreylock I will be there shortly."

When his aide left, Jonas closed his eyes for a moment and remained quiet for another minute before packing his things up. He secured the laptop – another Earthly gift – back into its carrier. He had a less than thirty minute long journey to make to be able to reach the Palace.

After making sure that the straps were in place, Jonas finally stood and slung the black carrier across his shoulder, messenger-type, and made to leave the room. But as he reached for the door handle, a cold breeze brushed against him.

The young man quickly spun around frowning. He roamed the entire length of his office with keen eyes but saw nothing out of the ordinary. All the windows were shut closed for days now in order to block the chilly winter air from coming in. He cocked his head to one side. He was sure he felt a presence there with him just now.

But how could that be since he was the only one in the room?

Ever since coming back, Jonas had this nagging sense of being watched wherever he went but every time he tried to investigate, no one was there. At a loss for an explanation, the Kelownan could only shrug. He opened the door but stopped and took one last look at his office before closing the door behind him.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

It was always like this.

As soon as Jonas Quinn entered the Palace grounds, the entire place seemed to have raised their alert level a notch or two higher. Not that Jonas had seen them at it but he somehow knew it for a fact.

He couldn't help glancing sideways at his aide who had been loyal to the Quinns for as long as he could remember. The older man had been his father's friend and right hand and had offered his services to Jonas after his father's passing all those years ago. The man though, could sometimes be a little overprotective.

"Ambassador Jonas Quinn to see First Minister Dreylock." The aide announced rather crisply as they stopped at the bottom of the stairs to address a group of men guarding the doorway. Rhougan knew full well what was going to happen next and regarded each man with a wary eye as he stood by the Ambassador's right flank.

"We apologize for the inconvenience," said the man standing in front of Jonas, blocking his path. "Standard procedures must be followed. Even by Ambassadors."

None of them missed the sarcasm in his words as the men in his group smirked behind him. His aide was about to say something scathing to put the man in his proper place but Jonas immediately cut him off. "It's all right, Rhougan." Jonas turned to the head of the First Minister's security detail. "Please, proceed."

And then, as if on cue, they heard the front doors open and a voice spoke from the top of the stairs. "Ambassador Quinn,"

All heads turned to look up at the tall imposing man standing at the open doorway. He stood ramrod straight but with a kind of easy air about him. "The First Minister is awaiting your arrival," he said. "If you could please follow me."

"_After _we follow standard procedures for guests, Hawthorne."

The majordomo looked down at the man from beneath his aquiline nose. "Surely you know very well by now that Ambassador Quinn is a friend of the family, Harlem. I have been in this household long enough to know that Dr. Quinn and the Dreylocks have known each other while all of you were still in swaddling clothes." Hawthorne sneered in a low yet authoritative voice. "To insult the Ambassador is like insulting the First Minister herself."

Harlem looked a little red around the neck. The Dreylock's majordomo continued to stare down at the group before turning warm brown eyes on Jonas. The young Ambassador detected a hint of a smile on the older man's thin lips. "Ambassador," Hawthorne swung both doors wide open to admit Jonas and his aide into the house.

Once safely inside, Jonas thanked Hawthorn with a smile at which the older man answered with a slight nod of the head before leading them into the main hallway. He was not exaggerating about his long tenure with the family. He had been there for as long as Jonas could remember. Of course, his hair had been thick and black with fewer wrinkles on his noble face then. Hawthorne was never one to smile and hardly revealed any emotion. The one that Jonas detected outside was the nearest he could describe as a smile coming from him. Hawthorne could even rival Teal'c with his impassiveness. They should meet each other someday.

Beside him, Rhougan commented about their mothers and how they were not taught proper manners when they were kids. Jonas could only shake his head at this, smiling as he did so. However did his father ever manage to get used to him?

As always, whenever they were invited in the Palace, Rhougan was ushered into a different room to wait for Jonas after his meeting with Dreylock. When Hawthorne turned a corner, Jonas' brows went up. The dining room was still a few meters ahead. Where were they going?

Sensing Jonas' hesitation, the butler turned around. "Madam Dreylock will be with you shortly." He explained. "A sudden predicament arose and requested that you be ushered into one of the smaller receiving rooms while you wait, sir."

No choice in the matter, Jonas followed him. The receiving room turned out to be one of the private day-rooms in the Palace surrounded by tall windows in a semicircular fashion. Jonas turned around just in time to see Hawthorne bow himself out of the room and closed the door quietly after him. Jonas sat on one of the huge cushioned chairs and tilted his head back taking the opportunity to rest a while.

"Jonas."

He felt a hand on his arm and quickly opened his eyes. "First Minister."

The Kelownan, First Minister Dreylock smiled rather tiredly as she released her grip on his forearm and stepped back to allow Jonas movement. "You were sleeping so soundly, I was having second thoughts as to whether I should wake you or not."

He rubbed at his eyes. He couldn't believe he dozed off. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't know I was that tired."

"That hectic, huh?" The small woman flashed a sympathetic smile down at him. She crossed the room and sat on a couch similar to his. "Dinner is still being prepared," she said, propping her elbows on the arm rests. "How did the Council meeting go?"

"The usual," Jonas replied. "As far as these particular Council meetings go."

Dreylock nodded in empathy. Although the countries of their planet had constructed the Joint Ruling Council, they were as far from united as the name suggested. It would seem that the threat of the Goa'ulds had been shoved aside as old hatred bubbled up to the surface like it usually did whenever they got together. Take the ambassadors of Terrania and the Andarii Federation for example. They seemed to have a knack for biting each other's heads off and their petty arguments were starting to get into everyone else's nerves within the Council who wanted nothing more than to protect their people and Langara from another Goa'uld attack. "So what else is new?"

"They found out about the _Enosh_."

The head of state calmly looked up at him. "Really?"

Jonas Quinn frowned at her off-hand manner at the news. "You told them?"

"I may have let it slip on one occasion," she confessed. "Maybe two."

Was he really hearing this? "But it hasn't been sanctioned yet."

"It is now," the First Minister corrected.

Jonas knew should he feel grateful for this sudden turn of events but instead he only felt alarm. "First Minister-"

"Sena would be nice," Dreylock interrupted, reprimanding. "Or have you forgotten that was what you used to call me when you were little?"

When Jonas remained silent, the woman's features softened. "Jonas, we both know that they will do everything they can to prevent this project from _ever_ seeing the light of day. Even if I _do_ let you continue my vote alone would not be enough. The only way that it can be approved quickly is when the Council hears of it and demands to see it for themselves."

Jonas grudgingly agreed. Dreylock was right on all points. And from the way his co-ambassadors inquired about the weather satellite suggested that, if nothing else, it peaked their curiosity. Most especially their two neighboring countries. "They may try to acquire the blueprints of the _Enosh _by any means possible."

She knew to who Jonas was referring to. "It is a risk we must take and that is why you and Professor Vinril must ensure the safety of the blueprints." When Jonas turned startled green eyes at her, Dreylock could only smile. "Professor Vinril showed me a copy this afternoon when I made a quick visit at the institution."

Just then Hawthorne entered and announced that dinner was ready. Jonas stood up and offered his arm to the small woman who hooked one hand at the crook of his arm. "I heard that Ordello Blaise personally handed in his resignation to the Council this morning."

"It came up at the meeting but was never discussed thoroughly." Jonas was frowning as he led her out of the room and into the main hallway. "It's quite a shame to lose him. He seemed fine working at Stargate Command. The Sycarian government's probably having a fit."

They followed Hawthorne as he rounded a corner. "Blaise stated that the job was… stressing."

Jonas could only chuckle at that. The Sycarian diplomat was the fourth Langaran ambassador voted by the Council to represent their planet to Earth and S.G.C. Sycar is located on one of the smaller continents Northwest of Kelowna. Its people were known for their diplomatic ways of dealing with things. By far, Ordello Blaise managed to stay on the job far longer than any of his predecessors had. And Jonas bet that somewhere down the line a certain U.S.A.F colonel was involved in it all.

"I haven't received any summons from the Council yet. They should be calling an emergency meeting by now," Jonas said wondering. "There's not enough time to evaluate Blaise's replacement because he or she is scheduled to leave early tomorrow."

Dreylock looked up at his troubled handsome face. "That _is _unusual," she remarked although the First Minister seemed unaffected by the revelation. "Do you have a certain candidate in mind?"

Jonas thought for a while. "I have a few but no one really definite."

"And what about you?" She inquired, stopping at the same time, also bringing Jonas to a complete stop in the hallway. She looked inquisitive blue eyes up at his confused face. "Would you like to become the next Langaran Ambassador to Earth, Jonas Quinn? It would seem that you are the only one who can stand Colonel O'Neill and I know you would also like to see your friends again."

Jonas immediately shook his head. It had crossed his mind from time to time but never really entertained such an idea would likely come true. "I have duties and responsibilities here. I just can't turn my back on them." He knew his prompt answer sounded mechanical but there was no helping it. There was something lacking in his first sentence though. A word that he had not used for quite a while now.

He should've said that he had duties and responsibilities here at _home _but could not bring himself to say it. Like the word got stuck in his throat.

Home.

Kelowna just didn't feel like home anymore. Somehow, subconsciously, he knew it would never be again from the moment he stepped through the Stargate. They were still his people, yes, but Kelowna was a different story. The feeling merely grew stronger as the days passed and sometimes he questioned himself and if he made the right decision to return here. Still, Jonas Quinn was not one to shy away from responsibility and he wasn't going to start doing so now.

Kelownan First Minister Sena Dreylock studied his face curiously. Jonas felt ill at ease under the woman's regard but did not take his eyes away from hers. "Perhaps," she said cryptically as she moved forward and the young man did likewise.

Hawthorne patiently waited by the double doors for them. As soon as the couple moved, the elderly butler swung them wide open and stepped aside to let them pass. He nimbly stepped inside the dining room after them, turned around and pushed both doors closed.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **So sorry for the long delay. I'd decided to take a few days off from writing to attend to some personal matters. I hope you won't get tired of reading this but thank you very much to those who said all those nice things on their review. Makes me want to wrap you all in a bear hug! Straitjackit you never cease to make me smile. I used to collect comic books and liked reading DC's _Teen Titans/New Titans_ but changed it for _Nightwing_ since my friends and I really liked Dick Grayson a lot. I haven't watched a single _Teen_ _Titans_ episode since the show started. We have it here but I never get to reach home in time. Pike2 for the compliments. Matute for all the kind words. I enjoyed all the conversations we had these past few days. And I know you can do it! LJQ I know it's kinda sad it didn't work out but it gave me an excuse to haul Jonas Quinn's butt (which is cute, by the way) right back to SGC. And T-Biscuit I know it's kinda late but thank you. Getting kinda nervous on how to execute every chapter now… oh, did I forget to mention that I've been losing a _lot_ of hair lately? Think I'll be needing a toupee after this story's through. XD

If you'd care to notice, I've included RDA's daughter, Wylie Quinn's birthday on this chapter. I've been a huge fan of this guy ever since seeing MacGyver way back in the late 80's when I was in grade school. :)

**Content Warning: **Col. O'Neill's at it again.

* * *

**6**

"Slept well, Daniel?" Jack O'Neill inquired as soon as he spied their resident archaeologist standing by the fiberglass view-port overlooking the Gate room below. He had just returned from Nevada and had been escorted directly to the briefing room on Level 27.

"What?" asked a puzzled Daniel, head turning at the direction of the voice.

"I asked if you slept well at Carter's last night?"

Understanding dawned on the young man's face. "Oh! Yes. Yes, I did." He answered before glancing sideways at the major.

Before Jack had left for Nevada, he'd warned Daniel to not forget to sleep and had even asked his second to look after their friend since this whole '806-thing began. Daniel had grumbled something about being a grown man and was capable of taking care of himself but Jack would have none of that. Time was one of the things people forgot when they're high or something to that effect. And knowing Daniel, the kid didn't need any kind of artificial stimulants to forget the time.

"Hope you didn't let him stay up so late, Carter?" Jack asked his 2IC. "Daniel's helping you with… what was it, again?"

"The schematics for a new type of naquadah generator." Carter quickly supplied. "So, how did the exercise go?"

Jack eyed her for a few seconds. "Fine," he answered slowly, cocking his head to one side. Was it just him or did she sounded a little too bubbly?

"Fine's good," she nodded, beaming an all-too suspicious smile at him.

"Good of you to grace us with your presence, colonel." Hammond said, in way of greeting as he stepped into the room and sat at the head of the long table. Everyone else did the same.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, sir." Jack said, finally settling in at the general's immediate left and glanced at Teal'c. "When did you get back?"

Teal'c bowed his head in greeting. "A few hours ago. I have left the Alpha site in Major Reynolds' capable hands."

Master Bra'tac had been bringing in Jaffa at the Alpha Site from all over the galaxy for days now. The unusual influx of Jaffa that wanted to join the Rebellion had overwhelmed the small contingent of SGC personnel guarding Earth's undisclosed off world base. Teal'c volunteered to assist them with the help of his son and Maj. Reynolds' SG-3 along with SGs -12 and -8 in settling in the new arrivals.

Whenever asked, the refugees merely said that they were "freed" from the mines and other Goa'uld prison camps by an Ashrak and that he had even escorted them to safety. When pressed for more information, the Jaffa knew nothing more beyond that.

"So," Jack clapped his hands eagerly looking around at the others, trying to guess what might be the reason for this emergency briefing, "what's up?"

The others turned out to be the rest of his team, SG-1 and SGC's liaison officer to the Pentagon Major Paul Davis. That's his official title, anyway. He noticed everyone's serious looks and thought with Davis there, something _was _definitely wrong.

"Kelownan First Minister Dreylock called in a few hours ago," Gen. Hammond began, nodding in Daniel's direction. "She informed Dr. Jackson that Ambassador Ordello Blaise will not be returning today."

That's it? Jack's brows went high up on his forehead. That's what this entire emergency's about? "Oh…"

He hadn't been able to help worrying after he'd received an urgent message from Hammond three hours ago. Vidrine had been kind enough to allow him a ride on one of the Tomcats to ensure his quick return to SGC. He'd been expecting something big, not this. He knew that _Dumbass-_ador Blaise was due to return today from Langara, no doubt reporting to his superiors of the goings on at the base, and Jack had planned on skipping the entire ceremony by delaying his return for at least an hour or so.

"In fact," Daniel leaned over and crossed both arms on the table in front of him, "he won't be returning _at all_," looking pointedly at Jack with a _yeah-great-going-Jack _glare.

"Oh?" That piqued his interest. This was good news. Jack ignored Daniel's glare. The stubble growth the young man's been sporting for weeks now really made Daniel look more serious. But, hey, he's Daniel. And he knew Daniel.

Beside Jack, Teal'c spoke up. "But another is to take Ambassador Blaise's place."

"Oh…" accompanied by a blank look on Jack's face. Dang! It was too good to be true. When will these guys ever get it that they don't need one around?

"And he's about to arrive any minute now," Carter added, a slight apprehension in her voice.

_Well, it would _be _much better if the next one's a she…_

"I've just spoken with the President regarding the situation. He's scheduled a meeting with the new ambassador early next week." Hammond stated matter-of-factly.

"Did Dreylock say anything about our new dumbass…" O'Neill quipped before he could stop himself. The "S" got dragged on as he saw the glowering looks he was receiving from around the table. He tried to act cool as he corrected himself. "…ador… Ambassador. A name? What he looks like?"

Daniel shook his head. "She didn't exactly go into details. The Council was still voting when she made the call."

"Oh…" Jack drummed his fingers letting the words sunk in. He looked at his watch. 8:02AM. He received Hammond's message three hours ago. Wait a minute. "When did all this happen?"

"This morning," Daniel answered quickly, defensively.

"Yeah. But what time exactly?"

"Very early morning," Carter was the one who replied this time, "sir." The all too suspicious smile made another appearance.

Daniel looked like a little kid wearing a toy beard as his head bobbed up and down rather enthusiastically. "Yeah, very early this morning." Before throwing a covert look at Teal'c.

Jack's eyes narrowed. He looked suspiciously at his two scientists sitting across the table from him, letting them both fidget under his unwavering gaze. He then glanced at Davis who merely nodded backing up their story. Jack snapped his attention to Teal'c who stared right back at him. There was something going on and it felt like no one would like to enlighten him. He glanced sideways at the general but his CO was busy shuffling some papers in front of him. Seemed like everyone's in on it except him.

After Jonas Quinn had returned to his home planet, both parties had wanted to maintain good relations with one another. Earth needed naquadria while Langara needed a strong ally to help defend its people against the Goa'uld. So they'd agreed on exchanging representatives. Jack was wholly against it saying that they don't need diplomats at the SGC. And as always Jack O'Neill was right.

The first three Langaran ambassadors were a complete disaster, beginning with someone from Terrania who turned out to be a complete pain in the _nik'ta. _Always wanting to be where the action was even though it wasn't necessary for him to be there. He always hung about the briefing room, wanting to be in on everything. The SFs always caught him eavesdropping on mission briefings, loitering in the hallways, outside offices and laboratories.

Sometimes he took to stalking members of any SG team that took his fancy. But when a foul-tempered Jack O'Neill had caught him stalking Carter one day, he would've broke the diplomat in half were it not for Teal'c who hauled his friend off the poor man. Effectively pinned to the wall by the Jaffa's massive arms, Jack hadn't been do anything but watch as Teal'c let the cowering Terranian go and to escape certain death.

He lasted only a week before he'd decided to call it quits.

The second lasted three weeks. A diplomat from a little country called Hariann this time round. He'd complained almost about everything that he could think of. From the food to his sleeping quarters. Jack had given him a wash down long overdue and he'd never been seen since.

The third was a diplomat from the Andarri Federation. The sleaziest of them all. This guy always cried foul whenever he had not been included on briefings and had accused everyone of discrimination when he couldn't get his way. A tough one, too. He had been brave enough to ignore Jack and Teal'c and had continued to flaunt his diplomatic immunity to everyone at the base. It had been on his sixth week as Langaran Ambassador when he'd suddenly and inexplicably contracted a 'very rare disease.'

Thank god for Fraiser and her sparkling needles.

Carter liked the fourth guy. She could babble on for hours without him interrupting even once. He had been such a good listener, they'd told him, and very charming, too. Heck, everyone liked the guy even Janet - everyone with the exclusion of Jack that was. He hated the guy the minute he'd stepped through the Stargate with that charming smile of his. Does _every_one on that planet have such nice smiles? Not that he's jealous or anything…

So far, Earth's representative, Bill Donovan seemed to be comfortable with his new position and seemed to be getting along quite well with everyone there, what with the way he called them on a first name basis which made the hair at the back of Jack's neck stand on end.

The Gate klaxon thundered above them as the two-story Ancient device began spinning. Everyone went down the flight of stairs to the control room directly beneath the. The iris automatically shut closed over the Stargate. A high-pitched whine echoed as a wormhole was established not long after. It only took Sgt. Harriman a few seconds to receive an IDC. The Langarans.

"Open the iris,"

"It's show time," Jack muttered as he followed the others into the Gate room.

They all stood at the bottom of the ramp as Walter palmed open the iris mechanism. While waiting, the colonel couldn't help looking down the line. The general looked straightforward, poker-faced and all business. Davis was straightening a cuff of his blue Air Force jacket before standing at parade rest. Daniel was making some last minute cleaning of his glasses in which his 2IC was helping him with when he missed a spot. Teal'c was, well, Teal'c.

And Jack? Well, let's just say, he'd been practising his if-looks-could-kill visage to welcome whoever had been voted to be the next unfortunate Langaran _dumbass-_ador to Earth. Jack frowned. The guy was taking rather longer than expected. Uh-oh, not a good sign. Jack disliked the man already. Running late was never a good first impression. Daniel was enough as it was. But two?

Finally, a figure emerged. He stood there at the top landing, silently surveying the enclosed area and the people within it. Jack frowned. What was he waiting for? The middle-aged man was tall and gangly. His thick and wavy auburn hair had visible streaks of white along his temples. The curls ending just at the base of his neck and he sported a bang that completely covered his forehead. On one shoulder, he was carrying what appeared to be a rather familiar looking black case.

The man turned his head over his shoulder, looking at the still open wormhole. A second more and another figure appeared beside him. The new arrival was younger, a few inches shorter and easily dwarfed by the other man beside him. The latter then nodded at his companion before slowly heading purposely down the ramp and towards them, the former following at a close yet respectful distance.

A defensive position to Jack's point of view.

The room seemed to fall deathly silent as everyone's attention was glued on the young man. Anxiety showed clear in his features but a highly suppressed excitement danced in his round dark emerald eyes. He was sporting a gait that Jack had become familiar with in the last two years. An oversized duffel bag hang on one shoulder and, threatening to unbalance him, quickly hoisted it up with some difficulty as he moved towards the SGC base commander.

It couldn't be…

Finally, he stopped a feet away from them. "General Hammond," he said smoothly, like he practised it a hundred times before coming there. "Request permission to enter Stargate Command"- and he couldn't help adding -"sir."

Hammond stared at the speaker in front of him for a good long minute before a good-natured smile formed on his lips, his eyes wrinkling in merriment. "Permission granted." He said, rather loudly, grasping the visitor's hand enthusiastically. "Welcome back, son."

"Thank you, sir." He looked as if he was about to collapse from anxiety. He let out the breath he'd been holding for so long that he was able to flash that notorious megawatt smile of his that seemed to light up the room with its brightness. He then turned to greet the Pentagon official. "Major Davis, good to see you again."

It seemed like an eternity before he turned his attention to SG-1. He looked at each one of them, no doubt gauging their reactions, before flashing a rather tentative smile beneath all that facial hair.

"Hi, guys." He said sheepishly.

_Oh, my stars and garters…_

Jonas Quinn.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

_Stubble growth. _A voice in his mind had said, bewildered. _The kid's got stubble growth._

That had been the first thought of Col. Jack O'Neill as soon as he saw Jonas Quinn standing before them at the Gate room. It had continued to echo in his mind as they'd walked all the way up into the briefing room, glancing every now and then behind him to look at the Kelownan who was having an animated conversation with Daniel. He'd kept looking at their direction as he'd continued to study Jonas' – oops, _Ambassador _Quinn's profile sitting between Daniel and Sam at the table.

Nothing much had changed. Well, except for the stubble growth and that healthy flush in his cheeks from his re-exposure to the sun. His unusually dark green eyes twinkling in merriment and those fashionable civvies he was wearing. Not to mention that his hair was longer and a much darker rich brown than Jack remembered last. And he seemed a bit taller…

_Ambassador_, Jack thought as he wrapped a towel around his waist before stepping out of the shower. He entered the empty men's locker room and opened the one labelled "J. O'NEILL" and peered inside. _Who'd ever have thought the kid would be an Ambassador _and _sporting a beard at the same time?_

Come to think of it, why was Jack so worked up with Jonas having stubble growth when Daniel's got one, too? He had to admit that his friend's new look made him more attractive to the opposite sex.

SG-1 was heading out in fifteen minutes and as he began dressing, he allowed his mind to wander back to the events of the past hour. Jack remembered sitting across from them, shifting his gaze from one to the other and back again many times over, silently watching the two in deep conversation. They had seemed to hit it off pretty quick, the friendship thing. It never ceased to amaze Jack at how much these two were so alike in many ways and yet so different at the same time.

And the facial hairs... _Jeez_! Did they talk about it? Looks like these kids were eager to be men.

Jonas' smile was brighter and his aura was different but it was in a good way. His happy disposition was infectious. Beside the Kelownan, Carter had been idiotically grinning from ear to ear as Daniel had continued to barrage Jonas with questions. Teal'c also had seemed rather pleased. The general had also been smiling and Davis had been listening intently to their conversation with a slight smile on his lips.

And Jack? Well, he had been glad. He hadn't want anyone to notice it but he was glad to see the kid again. Not glad in the festive mood way but plain glad. He was glad the kid was alright and there seemed nothing to suggest that he had not been taken care of when he went back home. They really weren't that close like the others since Jack never really intended to be friends with the Kelownan in the beginning. It had took him a long time before he could even look at Jonas without feeling his anger rise up and a lot longer in trusting the kid to watch his six.

The colonel sat on one of the benches to put on his socks and boots. Jonas could be tolerated but the other Kelownan… well…

Rhougan Dubois, personal aide to Jonas Quinn, had been sitting a chair away from Daniel watching the others when he'd felt Jack's stare on him. He'd never said one word since stepping out of the Stargate and had silently observed the people around Jonas as the young man had received a hug from Sam, loads of greetings and handshakes from a number of SGC personnel that the kid become friends with.

Honey brown eyes had met amber cat-like ones as their owners had instantly discerned their dislike for one another. Jack could not logically explain as to why but he was a person who always trusted his gut feeling and it had been telling him that there was something about the man that he did not like.

"I can't believe Dreylock would ever let you back here," Daniel had said. The initial shock of seeing Jonas Quinn back and learning that he was going to be the new Langaran Ambassador to Earth had still been evident on his boyish face. "I mean, the Terranians and the Andariis specifically asked that you represent Kelowna to the Joint Ruling Council."

Jonas had shrugged in reply. "Neither am I. But they said that First Minister Dreylock made a very convincing argument and that she was being supported by Ordello Blaise."

"Really?" Maj. Carter had leaned forward, interested. "How'd they take it?"

As far as Jonas had been aware of, not very well. He had also been ignorant of the proceedings until he had been finally summoned by the Council a few hours ago so as to inform of the results. It had been First Minister Dreylock who'd represented Kelowna in the voting process since he had been one of the candidates they were to choose from. He'd wasted no time and had begun packing everything he needed for his return to Stargate Command.

"By the way," Jonas then had turned his attention to Daniel, "First Minister Dreylock wanted to apologize for the inconvenience of her untimely call a few hours ago. She knew it was still early on Earth and regrets having to disturb you from your sleep."

Jack's head had snapped in Daniel's direction then. The smiles had quickly evaporated as everyone held their breaths at Jonas' innocent enough remark. "When was that, Jonas?" he'd asked rather sweetly, as he'd continued to look at Daniel's shrinking figure.

Jonas Quinn must've realised something was happening and although he did not completely understand what, he'd became a bit wary. "A few hours ago," he'd answered, trying to dodge the question. He'd looked at the colonel and then at Daniel who had still been shrinking in his seat.

"Jonas?" He'd growled lowly, giving Jonas a piercing look.

The Kelownan had finally given up. Jack knew that the kid didn't like that tone of voice at all. Especially when it was aimed at him. "Six hours ago."

Jack leaned forward on the table for emphasis. "_Naquadah generator?_" He slowly said, one brow way, way up his forehead as he looked at Sam and Daniel.

Jack chuckled as he remembered Daniel grimacing after being found out. He hadn't said anything after that but Jack wasn't going to let his teammate off the hook that easily and tried to think of ways to make Daniel pay. Six hours meant the call had came in around at two in the morning. He had never been anywhere _near_ Sam's house that's for sure. And everyone had been ganging up on him, wanting to cover the brat's tracks. Even Hammond!

All geared up for the mission, Jack immediately headed for the Gate room.

He found his second-in-command already there, standing at the bottom of the ramp, with her back to him. She was too busy checking out her gear to notice his approach. A young airman handed her a P-90 which she took, thanking him with a very brilliant smile. The young man stood there agape for a few seconds before returning with a tentative smile of his own, all the while attempting to hide the blush creeping up his face.

Jack frowned. He stood beside Carter as she secured the weapon in place. "Carter,"

Maj. Samantha Carter turned her head towards him. "Sir," she greeted back, flashing her commander a smile that matched the sparkle in her baby blue eyes.

Jack turned to look up at the control room behind them, trying to ignore the child-like face smiling at him. "Where's Jonas?"

His 2IC followed his gaze. Gen. Hammond and Maj. Davis were conversing with each other as they stood behind Sgt. Harriman. "Oh, he's sleeping, sir."

"Sleeping?"

"Jonas didn't have time to rest between his day job and the voting thing." She explained. "He's been on his feet practically all day."

"Ah!"

With nothing else to say as they waited for the others to arrive, Jack looked everywhere except in her direction. Another airman handed Jack his P-90 and as he reached for it, the major thanked the young man the same way she did the first one. The result was another open-mouthed soldier, blushing profusely. Now, Jack was really frowning.

"Carter…"

Another smile. "Yes, sir?"

He studied her upturned face for a minute. He knew the reason behind those exuberant smiles. She was happy that Jonas was back. All members of SG-1 present and accounted for. He understood how she felt, no argument there, but beaming at every person she encountered was a little too... unnatural. Now, if it were Jonas he'd be able to understand.

Jack hesitated a minute before he moved closer to whisper. "Will you stop grinning? The kids here aren't immune to it, y'know."

Carter snapped back to reality and made a quick study of their surroundings. "Yes, sir." She answered, immediately schooling her features. "Sorry, sir."

That was much better. He had his no nonsense major back. He grinned as he saw the immediate change in her. Gone was the toothpaste commercial persona. Just then Daniel and Teal'c entered the Gate room together.

"Hey Teal'c, Daniel." Carter called out.

As Jack turned to watch he saw she was wearing that _silly_ grin on her face again.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I don't know how to thank you enough! You have been most kind. All I have are words to express how truly grateful I am for all the reviews – even if my tenses still need loads of work. Yep, I admit that I'm a terrible writer! LOL! Hopefully, I am improving with each new chapter that I write. As always, I'd like to share this space to those who made this story look good enough to read. To you, guys, my most heart-felt thanks: _straitjackit, matute, pike2, ljq, copper _and_ night's darkness_. Knowing that you all enjoyed the last one is reward enough for me. Hope to see you in the future! XD

These two characters have been used and reused many times over. So why not use them again, right? But I've added a little twist… you'll see… in the coming chapters that is. :)

**One quick explanation: **Not everyone knows that Jonas Quinn is not from Earth and maybe, just maybe, even the fact that he returned to Kelowna after Anubis' defeat there. So most of them think that he's still with SGC and probably on SG-1. Sounds logical, right?

**stau: **an Ancient Egyptian word loosely translated as a renegade or an apostate.

**ntr/ntrw: **an ancient Egyptian word meaning "god/gods" respectively. Pronounced as "neter" and "neteru."

**Chapter Spoiler: **_Homecoming

* * *

_

**7**

_THREE DAYS LATER_

The sun hung low over the horizon behind him casting long shadows on everything its pale, reddish light touched on this godforsaken planet. Nocturnal sounds were beginning to dominate the forest as night approached. He wasn't mindful of the humid atmosphere as he surveyed the small encampment with growing frustration.

They had been here for days now and still there was no sign of their quarry.

Herak, First Prime of the Goa'uld Anubis, gritted his teeth. Someone's head would roll for this. And when it did, Herak would be there to do the deed himself if his Master would allow him. How _dare_ that scoundrel attempt to make a fool of _his_ god? No one lived to regret it – Herak had seen to that many a time.

The Jaffa camp was situated on top of a high ridge, overlooking the _Chaapa'ai _a hundred meters to his left. It was surrounded by a ring of densely packed trees, good cover for an ambush, and where the rest of his men were at that very moment. He turned around to stare at it, contemplating the events that brought him and a dozen of his Master's best warriors to this uninhabited piece of rock.

_He stood tall and ramrod straight as the door to his Master's throne room retracted. He marched past two Jaffa standing guard by the door and through a pair of two black-clad figures who were his Master's personal guard._

"_Master," he began after kneeling down and kept his face averted from one of the heavily-cloaked, dark figures standing by one of the two tall windows at the back of the throne room. "What is thy bidding?"_

_Silence greeted his query. From where he knelt, Herak could feel his Master's gaze upon him. He heard the swish of the cloak but did not look up. A pair of black boots appeared in his line of vision as one of Anubis' personal guards approached them before once again disappearing into the far corner of the room._

"_Arise, Herak." Anubis_ _commanded._

_The First Prime did as told, still keeping his eyes on the ground. The Jaffa had not been able to look directly into Anubis' face for many weeks after he had failed to obtain the Thanos crystal which holds the key to the secret of producing a new powerful element called naquadria that could only be found on one place in the galaxy: Kelowna, the home of one of their hated enemies, Jonas Quinn._

"_Open your hand,"_

_Herak felt something being placed upon his hand and finally looked up. Anubis handed him a small device, one that he had seen his Master use only thrice to receive messages from one particular agent whom Anubis called Shemesh. Herak had never laid eyes on this agent since his Master accepted his services not too long ago. He was a _stau_, a renegade. One who never accepted rules and loved defying them. He would only report to Anubis when it suited him. The First Prime wondered why his Master tolerated such a disrespectful rascal such as Shemesh._

_The object was no larger than a quarter of his palm and no higher than half of his thumb. It was made of Goa'uld components but Herak knew it was of alien design. The base was rhomboidal in shape and at the top rests a triangular hologram projector. The smallest he had seen so far._

_As soon as Herak let it rest on the palm of his hand, a pinprick light of golden yellow appeared at the top. The thread-like light widened in front of him to reveal a holographic image of a section of the galaxy hovering a few inches from his face. A small blinking red dot appeared at the second quadrant until it enlarged to reveal a solar system. The red dot reappeared, this time on a purple jovian planet, the forth from its sun accompanied by three small satellites of varying sizes. It was enlarged until it filled the entire holographic field._

"_In three day's time, SG-1 will arrive on that planet," Anubis finally spoke. "You will lead the group that will capture them."_

_As if on cue, the nameless planet was replaced by a gate address. Herak's heart was beating faster as he memorized each symbol._

"_I want Daniel Jackson and, if possible, Jonas Quinn captured unharmed." The Goa'uld said. "As for the rest of SG-1, they will be my reward to you to do with as you please as soon as I've gathered what information I can from them."_

_Herak felt like bursting in his seams in pride but dared not show it. With this mission, he could now redeem himself in his Master's eyes. But still… it seemed too easy. "How can we be sure that this information is accurate, Master?" Herak dared ask. "For all we know, this might be an apparent hoax to mislead us."_

"_Mislead us from what?" Anubis turned to look out the window. "Shemesh had proven himself thrice over, Herak. He is one of my most reliable agents. Gather everything you need. My Jaffa will await your emergence outside."_

_Herak wanted to say more as he watched the hologram disappear in front of him. He did not doubt his Master. He doubted Shemesh. But his Master was right. Shemesh had thrice given them vital information in the past that his god had used to his full advantage. His Master would've been able to destroy his enemies if not for the hated Tau'ri and their pesky ways._

"_As you wish, my lord." Herak finally complied, bowing solemnly as one of the guards retrieved the device from his hand. "I will not fail you."_

"I will not fail you."

He tightly clasped the staff weapon in his hand as he muttered the words under his breath. This was a very important mission for him. He had told himself that once they had caught the Tau'ri, only then could he look at his god's visage without shame. He'd do whatever it took to show his Master that he could still be relied upon. If Shemesh's information was correct, SG-1 would be arriving on the planet this very day.

Herak and his men had awoke that morning in high spirits, knowing that they were to finally put an end to their god's enemies. They'd had the _Chaapa'ai_surrounded at the break of dawn and had never left their positions even when the temperature reached its highest at midday.

But the _Chaapa'ai _had remained silent.

Herak turned vehemently away from it and angrily strode towards the encampment. To return empty-handed the second time was more shameful than he could ever accept. If this went on, then it would only seem fit for him to leave his Master's side and lead a solitary and dishonored existence in the hostile dunes of his home planet, Eridacq until death claim him.

But not before he had the pleasure of separating Shemesh's rotten head from the rest of his twitching carcass.

No. He would not give up just yet. His father did not let him live only to become a weakling. He was born and bred to become a soldier. To become the best that would ever be. Taught to be loyal to his god, the _ntr_. To serve without question and protect him till death.

And then he heard it. A dull thud that resounded over the forest-covered area. The avian population immediately flew in fright above their heads, squawking as they did so. Herak stopped to listen, straining his ears for another confirmation of the sound.

There it was again.

Someone shouted as more of the men rushed forth from the encampment to the _Chaapa'ai _below. Herak shouted out hurried orders as he and the handful of Jaffa who were left behind to mount their attack on top of the ridge. Herak lay flat on his stomach, arming his staff weapon as he went, propped it beside him and waited.

They didn't have to wait long as the _Chaapa'ai _exploded to life. A high-pitched whine screeched as the watery-blue of the event horizon burst forth before settling back into the middle of the Ancient device.

Complete silence permeated the air. Soft white light emanated from its center Everything seemed to be at a standstill as they all waited the emergence of their prey.

As Herak lay in wait, words echoed in his mind. Words that he had every intention of keeping.

_I will not fail you._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I accept constructive criticism, don't get me wrong! Most especially with the tenses-thing. I want that to be clear on everyone. It helped me become more aware of what I am putting into each chapter. Night's Darkness, thank you for pointing it out. And straitjackit, too. Yes, I am a liar! LOL! I need a "pinch in the arm" every now and then so that I can focus on what I really love doing without ruining it. And you guys help me keep on the straight and narrow… or something to that effect. And to everyone else who are _still_ reading this, a big honking Thank You! is once again in order. Man, you guys must be fed up with this whole thank you-business:)

Before I go any further, I think now would be a good time to tell all of you that I've avoided watching season 8 past New Order 1 & 2. Seasons 5 to 9 ain't here yet (in my country) so I got my Stargate SG-1s on DVD. Maybe because I wanted to retain the "original," as well as JQ, in my head. I've nothing against the changes nor the new guys and gals of 8 and 9. I'm just not ready for the changes yet so I still relish the past since it was really my love of RDA that got me watching the show in the first place. Then I started loving every single one of them (both cast and characters of seasons 1-7). I'm sure I'll also like them newbies on 9 but it may take awhile. :)

* * *

"_The only permanent thing in the universe is change."

* * *

_

**8**

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Maj. General George Hammond beckoned him inside and into one of the chairs opposite his desk. "Come in, son." He waited until the young man was comfortable enough before plunging on with the reason for the summons. "As promised, I studied the request that you put in a few days ago and I've taken into account the consequences that may result in this. If another Ambassador had forwarded this kind of request to me, I'd say no right then and there without batting an eye." When his visitor said nothing, he continued. "But yours is a special case."

Jonas Quinn shrugged his shoulders at this and raised both hands in front of him. He had exchanged his civilian clothing for some more appropriate base attire: a pair of military greens with no name, rank and insignia, black under shirt and boots to match. He had been expecting this kind of let down from the very beginning. However, he still had some tricks left up his sleeve.

"General, I can understand if you don't feel comfortable with the thought of having an outsider, another planet's Ambassador, holding any key position around the base except for what he already has." He began. "But I believe that as a former member of this facility – of SG-1, I could still be of some assistance to the Command other than just being an emissary between our two planets."

"I hear you, son." Hammond nodded solemnly.

"I'm not trying to push my luck here, general," Jonas said in placation. "I know I can never join SG-1 again, and I accept that. But I just can't sit around in my office doing nothing while there's real work to be done down here."

"I know that, Ambassador."

"Please, sir. Call me Jonas."

"And it's not a push."

Jonas blinked.

"You're not trying to _push _your luck," Hammond clarified, letting a little smile appear on his lips.

"Oh." One brow lifted as he cocked his head to one side before nodding slowly like a kid that had discovered something amazing.

It had been four days since Jonas Quinn returned to SGC as the new Langaran ambassador to Earth. The base commander had given him his private quarters back up on the V.I.P level and had assigned an office for the young Kelownan and his aide to use. Jonas had requested if he could have an office like those of Daniel and Sam where he could put all his stuff in and shelves to put his collection of books on. The general had readily agreed and had even requisitioned a number of shelves for the young man's office. They were due to arrive later today.

Meanwhile, Rhougan was overseeing the safe transport of all of Jonas' personal belongings he had made a list of to be sent over from Kelowna. He'd deemed it to be his responsibility to take care of everything for the young Ambassador, including the smooth transition of office to whoever would be Jonas' replacement within the Joint Ruling Council.

In his last radio transmission to SGC yesterday afternoon, Rhougan had notified him that he would be delayed in returning due to some minor crisis that needed his immediate attention.

Jonas slept all throughout his first day back and only came out of his room to look for something to eat around midnight. There were a number of SGC personnel on graveyard duty at the commissary but he recognised none of them so he had returned to the habit of retreating to the relative safety of his room with his tray of food. He was not insensitive to the fact that he was still not entirely welcomed by the majority of the personnel at the base.

Early the next day, as he waited for SG-1 to return from a recon mission, he busied himself by organising some of the things that had already been brought in from Kelowna. First stop was his office because some of the paperwork he needed to go through was already there. It was a good way to kill time since he had nothing else to do and nothing to go to.

Fifteen minutes later, Maj. Davis had appeared by the doorway. Hed wanted to run by some of the protocols Jonas needed to learn for his meeting with the President of the United States at the White House scheduled in a few days. Once the major had noticed the state of the place, he'd decided to drop it for the time being and give Jonas a hand at organising his office.

Then, a few moments later, as if by some sort of telepathy, more familiar faces started popping in to help. Jonas had simply been overwhelmed. It ha been something unexpected since he'd known everyone was busy, having their own duties to attend to around the base. Even Dr. Fraiser had dropped by to see the goings on and had stayed for a couple of minutes since she was still on duty at the infirmary. Since the shelves he'd requested were still a few days away, some of them had suggested they should borrow a couple of the non-commissioned shelves from the base storage for the time being that was, of course, if they got permission from the general, which Maj. Davis took care himself. They'd ended their small gathering by having lunch together in the commissary.

What started as a daunting task had turned into a completely enjoyable time spent with friends. Jonas had never felt this happy since he'd become a member of SG-1.

By mid-afternoon, he'd approached Gen. Hammond with a proposition: he wanted to help by becoming a research assistant at the base. An all-around one, if the general would allow him, since he possessed a wide range of knowledge that he could put into good use. Jonas Quinn wanted to be an asset to the Command rather than a liability. Hammond had took it under advisement and had promised to notify him as soon as possible.

SG-1 dropped by his office right after their debrief a couple of hours later. SG-1's CO observed that Jonas' office was a way lot bigger than his, that maybe he could get Hammond to give him an office just like it. Daniel snorted and said that the only thing that would benefit in the added space would be the numerous stacks of paperwork that their friend still needed attending to.

The Kelownan appreciated the thought that these people still considered him as one of them, although, he was no longer a part of SG-1. Sam had once again taken on her role of the big sister, insisting that she'd be the one to pick the clothes he was to wear to the White House - something that Jonas was relieved to hear since he had no idea what was the latest fashion on Earth nowadays. As they'd watched the colonel and the archaeologist literally butt heads about the whole '806 business that had the entire SGC literally on its toes (and Daniel on his feet), Jonas had remained mum about the entire matter with the General to the others. He'd wanted to be sure first before telling them.

The flagship unit only had, had less than a day's reprieve before they went off world again in relation to P3Y-806. Every available off world team had all been assigned to this endeavour since Sam had first made contact with that planet's Stargate aside from normal base operations. Daniel had promised to show Jonas something as soon as they returned. It had something to do with all that's been happening lately and Jonas was eager to learn more.

Still, Jonas felt a bit jealous and at the same time disappointed that he and SG-1 hadn't had any time to really get together. Seeing them off yesterday morning, watching the Stargate exploding to life, the four of them walking up the ramp, through the event horizon and to the unknown brought back memories of the days when Jonas was still exploring the galaxy with them.

His stay at the SGC had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. More than being the advisor to the late High Minister Velise. More than becoming the very first Kelownan Ambassador to the Langaran Joint Ruling Council. More than becoming the youngest that ever held one of the most important offices in their country. More than his name being etched in their people's history. Being a part of Earth's Stargate Command, Jonas Quinn was able to make a real difference not just with his own people but also to those 'out there' that needed help as well.

Hammond began to shuffle some papers in front of him. "I know you saw SG-1 off yesterday. Did you tell them about this?"

Jonas shook his head. "No, sir."

"Do you know anything about P3Y-806?"

Since Jonas Quinn was no longer a member of SG-1 and his high-level security clearance had been revoked, news of any importance, most especially of off world missions, barely reached him when none of it concerned Langara.

Jonas frowned at the question as he searched his memory. "It's one of the Ancient gate addresses Colonel O'Neill in-putted into the system's database five years ago." He rested an elbow on the chair's armrest as his lean fingers kneaded his creased forehead. He remembered reading about that planet from an old mission file his first few months there. "I remember we never established a connection with its Stargate the last time I was here. And then you guys did a week ago."

"Ten days to be exact." Hammond nodded, remembering that one of the young man's hyper abilities was a photographic memory. "As you can see, everyone here's been a bit busy because of it. SG-20 was assigned to the '806 mission and have brought home more than Dr. Jackson could chew."

Jonas smiled. He'd learned to distinguish some Earthling humour during his stay there and was eager to learn more.

"Dismissed," Hammond finally said before looking down at the papers that needed his immediate attention, picking up a pen as he did so.

The smile turned to confusion. He couldn't tell if the general approved his request or that he was dismissed because he was being turned down.

The officer stopped what he was doing when he noticed that Jonas was still there. He frowned. "Is there anything else you would like to say, Mr. Quinn?"

_That's it? _Was what he badly wanted to say. "So…?"

Hammond took his attention away from work and rested both arms on the table, clasping both hands together as he leaned forward to look intensely at Jonas. "Is Minister Dreylock not against this idea?"

"No, sir."

Silence. Hammond continued looking at him, as if assessing the truth in his words. Jonas tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. "General, sir, I have a very deep respect of you, don't get me wrong, but I urge you not to make any hasty decisions on this."

It was the general's turn to look confused.

"I know that you might see me as a potential security risk and one can never be too careful. Many from my own government see me as such as I stayed here for the last two years so, basically they don't know where my loyalties lie - most especially when I wouldn't divulge anything about Earth's technology to them. That's like handing a gun to a child per say" - he saw the deepening frown in the officer's visage - "That's why I just want to help mainly in scientific research, nothing ambitious like weapons or anything related. I mean, not to boast or anything, but I can really be a great asset to Stargate Command with the extensive knowledge that I have of basically almost everything–"

Hammond raised a hand to silence him. "Everyone around here already knows that, Jonas." The young man's face flushed. "Tell me, what part of what I just said did you not understand?"

Jonas felt deflated. He clenched his right fist spasmodically. "I just want to help," he said in a low voice, "sir."

Realization dawned on the commander's face and chuckled. "It's clear that you didn't understand a word I said."

Jonas looked at him puzzled. "Excuse me?"

"I never contacted your head-of-state regarding this matter because I believe you, Mr. Quinn," Hammond quietly said. "Yes, you are a security risk but the only difference is I know you and you have proven to the SGC that you _can_ be trusted. Problems may arise later when word gets out about this but… are you certain this will not be a distraction to your normal ambassadorial routine?"

"I assure you it won't, general."

"You will be under Dr. Jackson's authority."

"I like working with Dr. Jackson."

"And Major Carter's."

"Great!"

"You can go off world only with an explorations team and with my _explicit_ permission."

"No argument there, sir." The Kelownan replied, crossing his hands in front of him and swung them away from each other to emphasize his agreement.

"You will not be permanently assigned to any unit."

Jonas shrugged nonchalantly. "Perfectly understandable."

"You're to remain on the base and can only be allowed to go outside if escorted by SGC personnel."

"Already know that, general." He couldn't contain his excitement any longer. "And _also _that coffee is completely off limits."

George Hammond chuckled. "Then I think congratulations is in order, Mr. Quinn! Welcome aboard." He extended a hand to the young man. "You can immediately report to both Dr. Jackson and Major Carter as soon as they return from P6I-037. I will see to it that your security clearance is updated."

Jonas snapped out of his trance and shook his hand. "Thank you, sir!"

"Just one more thing," Hammond said as he stood up, serious. "If you do not follow any one of these restrictions–"

"I will automatically forfeit any autonomy that is afforded to me." Jonas ended the statement for the general who smiled.

The Gate klaxon wailed above them. They momentarily looked at each other before Hammond stood up from his chair and out the door, Jonas following closely behind.

The iris was already closed over the Stargate by the time they both reached the control room. The familiar loud dull grating sound the Gate made as it continued to spin filled both the Gate and control rooms.

"Sergeant?" No SG team was scheduled to return within the next twelve hours. While Hammond and the Chief Gate operator were talking, Jonas' attention was completely riveted to the Ancient device as the fifth chevron lit up and it locked into place.

"It's SG-1." Jonas uttered. He turned to look at the bewildered general beside him before he took off without a word down the short flight of stairs and into the Gate room below, his eyes never leaving the Stargate.

"What!" was all Hammond could blurt out as the high pitched mechanical whine of the opening wormhole rang into the room. He continued looking at Jonas as the latter stood at the bottom of the ramp, looking intensely at the Gate.

"Receiving a GDO code, sir." Walter looked up at his CO, incredulous. "It's SG-1."

Jonas hurriedly strode into the room, his heart beating furiously. Something was wrong and Jonas knew that his friends needed help. He stopped to stare at the two-story behemoth in front of him as its sharp teeth-like iris retracted to show the event horizon; waiting for it to spit out the four people that he cared most from its unpredictable maw.

Defence teams rushed from both sides of the room.

"Nobody goes near the Stargate!" Jonas barked, waving them off. "Just stay close to the blast doors and _keep your heads down_!"

The airmen stared uncertainly at the Kelownan.

"Do what Ambassador Quinn says, people," Hammond said over the PA. "SG-1's coming in hot."

Everyone edged closer to the metal doors as instructed. The men threw dubious looks at Jonas, who seemed not to notice, as he moved away from the ramp and unto the side. If he chose to look up at the control room that very moment, he'd see the astounded looks on both the commander and Walter's faces.

Heads bowed together, Daniel and Sam were the first ones that came through at a run. Both each had an arm above their heads while the other two were wrapped on each other's waists. They fell unceremoniously in a heap at the bottom of the ramp.

Jonas quickly ran to them. Sam was all over Daniel as she hastily tried to take what was left of the archaeologist's smouldering gear and jacket off of him. Succeeding, the major threw them away just as Jonas helped Daniel settle down to the concrete floor. He then knelt beside the archaeologist searching for any injury to his person.

Teal'c appeared next. He seemed okay but worry was etched upon his normally impassive face as he turned to look at the open wormhole, aiming his staff weapon at it. He reached the bottom and quickly positioned himself behind the left railing. "Major Carter," he called over his shoulder.

"Daniel's fine," she answered a little breathlessly. She took position on the other side of the ramp and brought her weapon to bear, watching the shimmering event horizon. She then issued out an order to the men to shoot anything that could come through with the colonel.

No sooner than she said this, a purplish blast came out of the event horizon landed with a loud bang and shook the floor. Chips of concrete flew in every direction, along with something else, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. Smaller pockmarks surrounded the main crater, all of them smoking.

"Jonas," she called out, her eyes never leaving the Stargate. "Get Daniel out of here!"

Two more blasts hit the flooring, followed by Jack's headlong run through the Gate room. As soon as his boots hit metal, Jack immediately yelled for Harriman to close the iris.

The trinium-titanium made defense shield immediately contracted and its edges began to meet at the centre Jack whirled about to aim his P-90 at it.

Finding Daniel uninjured Jonas turned his attention to the rest of SG-1 standing in front of the Gate. A sudden prickling sensation raised the hair on the back of his neck. With no time to waste Jonas Quinn dashed towards them.

"_Colonel!"_

The iris almost completely covered the wormhole but it was not fast enough to prevent a lone weapons discharge from passing through what little opening was left at the centre.

Jonas jumped the remaining distance and tackled Jack cleanly around his midsection. The older man lost hold of his P-90 as the two of them went flying sideways and, hit the ground hard, leaving Jack winded. The purplish blast landed on the very spot where the colonel was standing a second ago!

Rubble rained on the two men. Jonas quickly turned his face away, arms over his head as he tried to protect both himself and the prone figure underneath him. He felt some of the pyroclastics from the blast landed on his back, arms and legs.

Helping hands quickly grabbed and lifted him up. Someone was tugging at his jacket while he could feel something pliant striking his legs again and again.

Through all the commotion, Jonas had no idea who was holding him upright as he tried to shrug off the jacket, panicking as the smell of sulphur and burnt clothing reached his nostrils. He saw Daniel bending over the colonel, his lips moving but couldn't hear the words being uttered. Jack looked like he wanted to sit up but Teal'c's huge hand effectively immobilized him to the ground.

Several dull thuds reverberated on the other side of the shut iris. Heads turned to look uncertainly at it and only heaved relative sighs of relief when the wormhole finally disconnected.

Finally succeeding in taking the piece of clothing off, Jonas hurried towards the colonel as Janet and her nurses entered the area. They immediately rushed towards Jack who had finally been allowed to sit up but was now attempting to stand.

"I'm _fine_, doc," Jack pointedly said. "You should take a look at Daniel, though. He got shot in the back and Jonas took the brunt of that blast."

"I'm all right, Janet." Jonas and Daniel said in unison, assuring the doctor as she turned her attention to them.

"Sir, you should at least rest a while," Sam pleaded as Jack once again strained against Teal'c's hand.

"What the _hell_ was that, colonel?" Gen. Hammond demanded as he strode in. Mixed emotions played across his features as he assessed the damage to the Gate room caused by whatever unfriendlies were there on the planet the team just returned from.

"Bugs, sir." Jack said in mock enthusiasm as Teal'c and Daniel finally heaved him up, Sam and Jonas right behind them. "Big, honkin' bugs. The place was full of them."

Two gurneys were wheeled in. Beside Jonas, Daniel began to protest in earnest, telling Janet that they did not need be wheeled to the infirmary.

"Oh," Jack's head turned to watch Daniel trying to outmanoeuvre Janet with the gurney issue before looking back to his commanding officer with a frown. "Did I mention that the place was hot _besides _being full of bugs?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Wow… the usual crowd's still around. (blink! blink!) Hope you all like it. Matute, before you read this, please read the email I sent you first.

Our nameless female on chapter 4 finally gets to have a name! Yay! It's nothing fancy and it's been used before. The reason why I am using it is because the name's got a meaning or a certain history behind it. As with most of the names I've been using in the story. And I'm a stickler for details, most especially with names. It's been said that your name is who you are and I, for one, believe in that. One meaning of our chapter 4 female character's name means "illusion" in Sanskrit. It was also the name of Buddha's mother. In ancient Egypt, it was the name of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun's royal wet nurse when his mother was unable to breastfeed him for some unknown reason. And on that same kingdom and dynasty, it was also the name of the architect who built Tut's tomb. Coincidence? Hmm… (Imitates Daniel's trademark suspicious sideways glance with his right eye narrowing to half its original size while the Twilight Zone theme song plays in the background…)

I have to say this… I like this guy. He's one of my favorite aliens alongside Martouf/Lantash who the producers decided to kill after they made him get too close with our Major. (sigh!). Anyway, I hated him the first time but as I watched the episode where he first appeared a couple of times more, I decided, hey, he's not such a bad guy after all. Just got a lot of things on his mind then.

**shr – **Ancient Egyptian word for "counsel". Pronounced as (not entirely sure) "sekher."

* * *

**9**

She silently treaded around the cavernous room. The air inside was clean compared to the dank and rotten one outside. Even though the place had been deserted for many months, no dust accumulated on the smooth polished floor and on any other surface that could be seen. The place was completely empty except for the dull grey pillars that were scattered all around her.

They really weren't scattered when you take another long, hard look. There's a sense of order in the way in which they were built and she studied one pillar after the other.

They were huge and quite numerous. These floor-to-ceiling pillars stretched out in all directions. Three persons with arms outstretched could encircle its girth with fingers barely brushing one another. There were no less than a hundred words written in Goa'uld carved into all of them and these she read carefully.

To the casual observer, the room held nothing of interest. But to the beautiful, black-haired, blue-eyed young woman, the room held information she needed to acquire. It was hidden along with the other things that had taken its late owner's fancy in all the years of roaming the galaxy while searching for the one thing every Goa'uld had dreamed of having. When it could not be found this specific Goa'uld experimented on making one.

The place had been hard to find and were it not for their master's vast amount of stored information, she would not even have a clue as to where to begin her search. The Goa'uld had a knack for collecting every single – little or unintelligible – piece of information that reached him. When asked once, all he said was, "Gibberish it maybe at the moment, but it may prove quite valuable in the future."

So they were. And it in turn led her here.

The Goa'uld Nirrti's hidden warehouse.

She would've steered clear of this place if the circumstances were different. It was not out of respect for the dead and neither of superstitious beliefs (she never had one, by the way) but because she did not want to be anywhere near anything that belonged to the dead System Lord. For one thing, the methods used in the experiments were all highly unconventional even by Goa'uld standards. She had heard stories of mutated lifeforms that passed under the woman's hands and none of them good. She couldn't imagine undergoing something like that. She would just kill herself rather than suffer permanent deformity because of Nirrti's quest of making the perfect Hok'taur.

News of the S_tau'_s death had reached them all those months ago. What amazed her was that the System Lord did not perish at the hands of another Goa'uld but rather from four Tau'ri that had crossed her path a handful of times before.

She gladly would've traded with Kalen on this. He was also dispatched along with a few other Jaffa to some part of the galaxy, also ordered to gather as much information about the person that had piqued their master's interest. But she highly doubted that the First Prime would gladly trade places with her. Although relied upon for their formidable strength and loyalty, Jaffa were a superstitious bunch.

The pillars were all alike but she seemed to know exactly where she was going as she turned left her steps never faltering. As she continued to wander about the room, her mind was also doing a similar thing of its own.

The information that their master originally needed was already in his hands and yet he had temporarily put their plans on hold in exchange for another "far more pressing matter" that came up, he said. She was never given any explanations at all and this whetted her curiosity more than she cared to admit.

The message arrived through her _shr_, a long-range communication device that was of exclusive use between her and the Goa'uld System Lord. Appropriately named so since he had a tendency to sometimes seek her counsel on things, to view a matter from another perspective. That in itself was a clear enough indication that he was not like the rest of his kind.

This undertaking had been quite a surprise for her. In the years that she had been in his service, the Goa'uld never puts anything on hold except if it was really important and necessary. He had never shown this level of interest on anyone before, not even with his own kind. Well, not since –

_Stop it! _This was neither the time nor the place to dwell on such things. She stood there, gritting her teeth, breathing harshly. She clenched her fists until her knuckles were white, cursing herself for letting her mind wander that far out. She could continue these thoughts in the privacy and security of her own room after she had accomplished what she was sent there for and no less.

That was when she sensed a nearby presence. She stood still a few seconds more, her senses heightened and alert, reaching out to her surroundings. Her expression bland so as not to alert whoever it was that was watching her before she continued moving forward.

The area surrounding the hidden storehouse, as she now called it, were filled with booby traps aside from the planet's local predators. The System Lord didn't choose this planet for its scenery, of that she was certain. She did not want anyone to learn of its location and as a precaution, had gathered all of the planet's large predators in this one place to protect it.

But they all proved to be useless, living and non-living alike, when pitted against someone like her. She needed not the help of Jaffa in order to gain entrance to the structure. She could take care of herself and had proven it a hundred times over. Their master did not let her hang around for sentimental reasons, that's for sure.

She wrapped her waist-long, midnight black hair loosely around her slim neck in two swift motions as she continued searching the pillars nearest her. She was not in a hurry but she wanted this task to be over and done with quickly so that she could get back to her other duties and then return to their master's side. Truth to be told, she was uneasy leaving him for long periods at a time – not that he was incapable of taking care of himself – but her mind would rest a little easier knowing that he was always within sight.

Five pillars down, she saw it. Her lips curved into a smile and briskly walked towards it. The words were almost eye level as she read it a few times more before her hands began feeling around for a hidden switch.

"Ah!" she exclaimed in satisfaction as her fingers felt a slight depression not too far away from the engraved golden symbols. She felt a slight vibration coming from within the pillar beneath her palms. She took a step back, not taking her eyes off the symbols.

A few seconds more, the symbols seemed to have moved as the surface it was engraved upon slid forward with a silent hiss, revealing a small hidden compartment.

Her smile broadened as she reached inside and felt her fingers come in contact with something smooth and cool. She reverently plucked it out from its nest and studied it carefully.

The soft light coming from above gave the orange colored crystal an ethereal look as she turned it over in her hands. It was a data crystal commonly used by the Goa'ulds. These oddly shaped crystals could easily store thousands of information within and its durability could be relied upon. She opened the small satchel she was carrying and carefully placed the crystal within.

The soft breeze coming from her right was enough warning for her as she espied a large dark creature in mid-air, front paws outstretched, its lips curled back to reveal jagged teeth. And it was descending fast.

But she was much faster. She nimbly took a step sideways and in one swift motion cut the creature cleanly in half.

The parts landed with a dull thud at her feet. She turned dark blue eyes at it dispassionately as she felt her braided hair fall down to one side. A hand immediately went up to the satchel and felt the comforting weight of the data crystal in her hand.

Another of Nirrti's "pets" no doubt.

She stepped over the carcass without as much as a backward glance. Time to leave this damnable place.

_The old crone, _she thought. _Maybe when she built her "traps" she had taken Maya out of the equation._

That was a bad call.

Very bad.

But their master benefited from it in the end.

As the lithe figure of the woman named Maya head towards the entrance, the empty compartment automatically retreated back into place within the grey pillar. The Goa'uld symbols mysteriously glowed for a while. They represented two words in Tau'ri language.

And these two words, combined, spelled out a name. A name, whose bearer had made quite a mark in the galaxy as one of the parasitical race's formidable enemies.

Jonas Quinn.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

Dark.

That was the first thing that came to mind as soon as he awakened. He blinked several times to remove the dryness from his eyes from lack of use. Next he tried assessing if the pale light outside signified the coming of the morning or the remains of the day. He tried squinting in order to see better but the effort proved too much as pain hammered into his skull.

Pain.

The second word that bubbled up as soon as it abated to a more tolerable level. He ached all over and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Cold.

It was hard _not _to notice. He suddenly became conscious of whatever clothing he had on which was not fit for such an environment at all. The blanket that was placed over him was not enough to keep the chill from seeping through.

He could hear distant voices and other sounds to his right. He tried to move and quickly regretted doing so as waves upon waves of unimaginable pain renewed its assault on his broken body. Every part of him protested at this sudden movement. It felt like millions of needles were jabbing at him at the same time.

A groan escaped between clenched teeth before he could even stop it. He wanted to throw up but prevented the urge to. His breathing was laboured and his chest protested as he tried to take long deep breaths of the foetid air. He must've broken a rib or two and hoped that none had punctured a lung. He opted to take quick, short breaths instead as he closed his eyes wishing for the pain to go away.

He must've lost consciousness but not exactly sure how long. He let his eyes roam around and pretty much figured that he's inside a huge tent and that night had finally descended outside. Someone must've gotten in and lighted the single lamp hanging in the middle of the tent's ceiling. Its weak light not enough to completely drive away the shadows and the cold. Soft yellow light from outside covered the walls and shadows passed every now and then.

An icy breeze ruffled the flap that served as the tent's doorway and he shivered a bit as the trapped chilly air circled inside. He huddled deeper on himself for warmth as much he could, mindful of his bruised chest. Every movement he made was torture as pain continued its vice-like grip on him.

Gritting his teeth, he searched his sluggish mind trying to figure out what he did, how he came to be there, why was this done to him and who had done this to him. And first of, where was he?

He once again attempted to recognize his poorly lighted surroundings but everything seemed alien to him. He lay curled on his side on a spread out cloth that had seen better days. A bundled up cloth of the same color was placed under his head. A sound interrupted his musings and he turned to look at the door with growing unease.

A man entered the tent stomping his feet as he did so. He was looking down at them attentively, like he was trying to get something off that clung at his boots. The man must've felt he was being watched and swung his upper torso to look at the pallid figure of the injured man. Relief showed on the man's face as he quickly went close and knelt beside him. "You are finally awake."

He merely looked at the new arrival before him whose face was half-hidden in the shadows. He started violently when the other raised a hand above him and tried to lay it on his forehead. Light yellowish-brown eyes widening in panic as he recalled something quite like it, accompanied by a bright blood red light and the end result was intense, horrible pain.

Like he was dying. No. He _was _dying.

"Easy, easy," the man gently assured him, hands slightly putting pressure on his shoulders trying to pin him gently to the ground. "I will do you no harm. I only want to check if the fever has broken."

He wasn't entirely convinced as he continued on with his useless struggle, ignoring the stabbing pains shooting up his skull. For all he knew, this man might be his torturer and had returned to see if he was once again fit to be punished. He whimpered at his helplessness and tried to think of ways to fight back, if not physically then verbally.

The man sighed. "Do not waste what little energy you have left, my friend," he gently said. "You will need them in the days to come."

The injured man finally settled down, more from exhaustion rather than from the man's words. He cannot do anything as he tried blinking back tears of frustration and was powerless to stop the hand, palm down, from descending on his forehead. His panic turned to wonder as he felt nothing but the warmth of the man's hand before turning his attention to his caretaker. Trying to study him in what little light was afforded him.

He looked to be a few years older. His short dark hair in total disarray and his gaunt face and body had a worn look of hard labour. A genuine smile appeared in his tanned skin as he announced the fever completely gone. It was only then that he noticed a golden mark on his forehead.

"Jaffa," he rasped. The word coming out of his mouth unbidden. Surprising even himself.

The dark-haired Jaffa stared down at him frowning slightly. "And you are Goa'uld."

Anger rose up with alarming speed. "_I am _not _Goa'uld!" _he hissed angrily, throat hurting as his amber eyes glowed. He tried putting as much anger at his words but they came out hollow.

The Jaffa chuckled. "Calm yourself, my friend." He soothed. "I was merely jesting." He reached out for something behind him. "Are you thirsty?"

Confused, he could only nod weakly. With the Jaffa's help he had managed to empty the small cup of its contents. "That will do for now." The Jaffa added, as he took away the empty cup.

He frowned at this and would've demanded for more when the Jaffa once again spoke.

"Do you know where you are?"

He had been trying to solve that piece of the puzzle for a while now so it was no use feigning that he does. That elicited a troubled frown from the Jaffa. "You are in a naquadah mining camp. You do not recognize this place? No? Clearly, you are still confused. That would be understandable given the fact that you have been tortured for many hours and the hand device used on you." He was looking at a now barely visible red welt on his patient's forehead.

That explained why he ached all over. His head felt like it would split in two any moment. And why his throat hurt. He must've screamed himself hoarse during the entire interrogation. Interrogation of what? What had he done? His brain seemed addled enough for him to remember anything.

"Let me introduce my self once again. I am Yarek of the Free Jaffa," his caretaker declared. "Do you remember who you are?"

The injured man frowned at this. Of course he knew. What kind of question was that? As he opened his mouth to answer, nothing came out. He frowned, alarmed when he could not remember his name. He looked around the tent all the while desperately searching his mind for that one word that continued to elude him. Then it hit him. It was not one word but one of two. One that they had been using since their blending.

"Malek," he whispered weakly, letting his head fall back into the makeshift pillow and closed his eyes, completely spent.

"Malek of the Tok'Ra."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **A few words of thanks: to _Eze_ for the post. I greatly appreciate the time you spent on telling me what you think of the story. _Straitjackit_, for her unlimited supply of optimism. _Matute_ for everything and Keiko's got one very reliable pet owner, if I may say so. LOL! Right now, my job is taking too much of my time that it's eating up the time I set aside for writing this story. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with my weekly updates in a few weeks but I'd still try.

Sorry if I was not able to post this last Saturday as promised. My apologies to straitjackit and matute. As for the identity of the new Goa'uld… I'm not going to describe him yet nor am I going to reveal his name til later. All part of the suspense. :)

**OT: **I would just like to thank _nannon_ for the review posted on Search Party.

**Chapter Spoiler: **_Metamorphosis & Homecoming

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**10**

As First Prime, it was Kalen's foremost duty to always be by his master's side. He was privy of things no other Jaffa in the god's "household" would ever be and prided himself in this. He also got to watch his master at work in close proximity, always in awe of him. A great thinker and master strategist, Kalen wouldn't dream of serving another god in his stead. His happiness would have been complete if not for the fact that he was sharing the limelight with _that _woman.

But today, she had been given another task to do and so would not be around for a while. This he welcomed with relish.

As the lead scientist left the chamber, his master completely lapsed into silence, seeming to contemplate on what the small man had just revealed to them.

"_Are you certain of your findings, Nibiru?"_

_The scientist had slowly dipped his head in confirmation. "We have tested the samples Lady Maya acquired a few days ago from Nirrti's storehouse several times, your Lordship." He'd replied. "And always with the same results."_

"_Impossible," the Goa'uld uttered, surprise evident in his voice._

"_We also thought so, my lord." The other was quick to agree. "But the results speak for themselves."_

"_Are there no evidence of the crystal being damaged at all?"_

_Nibiru had shook his head. "None, my lord. Nirrti had done a good job of taking care of it. The marks we've earlier detected on the crystal surface suggest that it had been used only once."_

"_To take a sample of her specimen's genetic make-up for further use before she begins tampering with it."_

_Kalen smiled smugly as he remembered the bewildered expression on the scientist's face. His master had a knack for surprising others with what he knew. Indeed, the greatest of all the gods. He knew everything that should be known and left the mundane tasks to those who served under him._

_And the marks that were found gave a clear indication that Nirrti had only had time to input the initial information regarding the Tau'ri before she was killed._

"_My team and I are completely baffled by it, my lord." Nibiru had said, bowing low in apology. "We simply cannot explain how it came to appear in Jonas Quinn's. Although this means only one thing…"_

"_What other data have you gathered?"_

_Nibiru had then stopped for a moment to recollect his thoughts. "Nirrti stated that the Tau'ri has a very different physiology. Unlike any other she had seen. That he is a viable candidate to become her Hok'taur once trained and his powers unleashed to its full potential. But nothing further was said, I don't know if the experiment was a success."_

"_Run another round of tests, Nibiru, and report back to me."_

"_Yes, my lord," the small had man purred. "For certain, Lady Maya would be pleased – "_

"_No. Tell her nothing of it. Not until I say so."_

It all started out simple enough with the capture of Anubis' First Prime on an uninhabited planet where a trap was laid out for him. There really was no SG-1. It was the bait and Anubis was fool enough to take it. They had learned some months ago that Anubis had left his realm with his newest arsenal and with more than a thousand Jaffas in his command to some part of the galaxy; only to return in his personal ship with nothing but ten Jaffas with him. All because of an element called naquadria.

Intrigued, the Goa'uld wanted to learn of its location and the only way to obtain it was by capturing Anubis' most trusted right-hand: the Jaffa named Herak.

And during their "talk" his master had accidentally stumbled upon Anubis' fascination with two individuals belonging to SG-1: Daniel Jackson and Jonas Quinn.

Of Daniel Jackson, they already gathered a wealth of information. But of Jonas Quinn, information was scarce.

And if what Nibiru and his scientists had discovered were true, his master's plans would dramatically change from here onwards. Harvesting the naquadria on a place called Kelowna would become secondary compared to this latest discovery. To think that after centuries of searching the galaxy in futility and later thought to be gone forever, proof of its existence literally landed straight in his master's lap. If this was the case, then nothing could prevent him from claiming what was rightfully his.

"_Hok'taur_," the System Lord sneered. "Poor Nirrti had no idea what she had stumbled upon." He beckoned Kalen nearer. "Has everyone accepted your invitation, Kalen?"

"All, except for one, my lord."

The Goa'uld idly waved a hand. "No matter," he said, indifferently. "Send an urgent message to everyone that capturing the Tau'ri Jonas Quinn alive and relatively unharmed will now be given special priority. And," he raised one elegant finger to emphasize his last sentence, "inform them that money will not be an option."

"What of the other Tau'ri, the one named Daniel Jackson?" His master had ordered both men captured and be brought to him.

"I have no more use of him." The Goa'uld replied. "However, I could always hand him over to Anubis as a gift to show my appreciation to his First Prime for being so… _accommodating_."

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

Ever since she was a kid, U.S. Air Force Major Samantha Carter, Ph.D., had never been one to believe in hearsay that easily. She was a scientist and scientists believed in corroborated facts. She had no use for rumours and old wives tales but, in the seven years that she had been with the Program Sam had, if not believed them, at least come to respect them.

But when it comes straight from her commanding officer, Colonel O'Neill's mouth she, if not completely ignore it, would probably ask for proof. Normally for _a_ _lot_ of them. The man had this irritating tendency to make things blow all out of proportion and that's when her hardcore scientist persona tends to kick in.

Voices floated down the corridor to her right on her way back to her lab. She wouldn't have given it any thought were it not for the fact that she could distinctly hear Jonas talking to someone. They seem to be coming from his newly refurbished office. She couldn't make out what they were talking about, but based from her friend's harassed tone, he seems to be –

Angry? Sam frowned. Now that's not right, Jonas was never _angry_. She decided to investigate to see if she was right.

It had only been a few minutes ago when they had last seen each other and that was down one of the base's sub-sublevels where the two of them, and a team of engineers, were experimenting on the possibility of enhancing the energy output of a naquadah generator double the normal level.

"_No!" _cried Jonas. His next words were incoherent as he'd lowered his voice to an almost murmur.

That caused Sam to quicken her pace, brows furrowed. Something was _def_initely going on and she wanted to know what. She was almost at the open doorway when an unfamiliar voice growled menacingly saying something in an alien tongue and that was when she decided to barge in unannounced.

Sam's words died in her throat when she saw who Jonas was arguing with. Rhougan Dubois. Wasn't he supposed to still be on Kelowna? But the surprise she felt was nothing compared to the startled look on Jonas' face when he turned to look around. "Hey," Sam softly said, nodding at Jonas. She turned cold blue eyes at the man standing behind her friend. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah," Jonas quickly replied, trying to sound like nothing was amiss. "Rhougan had just returned. We were just discussing something and found out that we have a difference in opinion." He sported a smile but Sam wasn't fooled for a second.

The aide remained silent as he watched the two of them, his face impassive. Her conversation with the Colonel a few days ago played on her head as she continued staring at the older man until he turned away to inspect an artefact in one of the boxes on Jonas' table.

"Wanna join me in the commissary?" Sam really wasn't hungry but she would do anything to get Jonas away from this man. Whatever they were "discussing" seemed to agitate her young friend and that kicked her protective mechanism into overdrive.

Jonas turned to look uncertainly at Rhougan. Either to seek his permission to go or hesitant to leave his aide behind, Sam wasn't sure. But the latter was not giving them any notice as he continued scrutinizing the artefact in his hand.

"Yeah, sure." Jonas finally told her. He was almost at the door when Rhougan finally spoke.

"_Kinpa,"_

Her friend whirled around to face the room with Sam right behind him.

"_Sonu ahwu ne er wun fidelo, netcheset." _Rhougan quietly said.

Sam frowned and looked at Jonas whose face was livid with anger. He opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it and turned to her. "Let's go, Sam."

She wanted to ask what Rhougan had said but one look at his flushed face, Sam thought she'd let it go, for now. She had never seen Jonas like this before and that worried her.

"_I'm telling you, there's something about that guy I don't like."_

"_You never did like anyone on first meet, Colonel."_

She'd never really believed in hearsay, more so when it comes from her commanding officer. But maybe, _this time_, the Colonel might be right about this one.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

A sharp, rhythmic tapping sound echoed across the high-ceilinged hallway of the science building. The sound was produced by a dark, mahogany-coloured walking stick carved out of a very rare type of tree that once grew in abundance on the central plains of Kelowna. It's bearer, as a child, grew up in one of these places. A small farming community miles away from the nearest city.

The sound continued as the old man walked in quick, uneven strides, not really looking to where he was going. He knew the place by heart. Had spent more than half of his life within these halls, preparing each new generation on how to survive the outside world and to begin making their own destinies. Nothing could compare to the feeling of accomplishment a person of his profession does whenever they see their students succeed in life.

But now he felt like an utter failure. To himself and, most of all, to Jonas Quinn.

For days now, he'd wished to have a private audience with First Minister Dreylock but the head-of-state was always away. It had nothing to do with the _Enosh_ project that the young ambassador had left in his care before he'd left for Earth but, it was also of equal importance.

Aradaean Vinril was sorry to see Jonas go for the _second_ time. But he knew that it was for the best and that the young man was among friends who had taken care of him during his exile. When Jonas came to see him very early that fateful day, he was so excited and could not wait to assume his role as Ambassador to Earth and Vinril was happy for him, too. But when he'd learned that the Ambassador's aide, Rhougan Dubois was also coming along, Vinril could not help voicing out his concerns to Dreylock.

To his disbelief, the First Minister had _defended_ the man and tried to assure the professor that everything was all right. That what Rhougan had done in the past was what he'd thought was best for everyone concerned.

_Traitor, that's what he is. _Vinril thought angrily. _A traitor to his friend's son._

The aged man was never one to curse but he could not help it as he mentally berated himself for not doing it sooner. Recalling the many times he had been given the opportunity to do so but was cowardly enough not to take the chances. Vinril wanted to protect Jonas. And now, when his protection was needed the most, he was unable to provide it. He now feared though that it may be too late.

From the first moment he'd laid eyes on Jonas Quinn, newly orphaned and barely sixteen, Vinril had sensed something different about him. An aura, if you will. An air of benevolence, of intelligence, of quiet strength and nobility that rivalled those that descended from the elite classes of their society.

And Jonas Quinn did not disappoint. He was always at the top of his class and excelled in all fields that he entered without effort at all. Vinril and his wife would've adopted him but Jonas already had a guardian.

The corridors were empty as the students were all out on the grounds, enjoying the late afternoon sun after days of continuous rain pouring down from the heavens.

_I should have somehow warned him, _he thought. _When Jonas thought he was bringing a friend and an ally, he had instead brought along the very thing that could destroy him. Ah, Keiran, what have I done?_

The professor went up the short flight of stairs to reach the laboratory section of the building. His office was located at the end of it and as he went nearer, the old man noticed something wrong. Narrowing his eyes, he spied that his door slightly ajar.

He glanced about to see if there was another soul there with him but all the other doors were securely locked for the coming weekend. Whoever broke into his office must be long gone by now what with all the ruckus he'd made in coming there. But still… He shoved the thoughts that weighed heavily on his mind aside as Vinril held his walking stick club-like in front of him before nudging the door with the tips of his fingers. The door gave no resistance and slowly swung open.

"_Putrisqua,"_

His office was in complete disarray. Drawers had been pulled out; cabinets opened and emptied of their contents. Papers and shards of glittering broken glass scattered everywhere. Liquids of varying colours spilled on the tables and on the floor. Most were absorbed by the papers strewn near them. And in the far corner, his table had been upended.

Vinril quickly hobbled near his table, frantically searching through the chaos and finally found what he was looking for – a framed photograph of a beautiful woman sitting demurely on one of the low-lying branches of a tree. With sorrowful eyes, the professor brushed a trembling hand at the remaining glass that clung to the frame and sighed heavily. He turned old grey eyes to inspect what remained of his once neatly kept office.

What could these men have possibly wanted? There was nothing here. All the important documents he always left at home. But _what_ were they looking for in particular?

_The blueprints. They're after the blueprints!_

He thought he heard a voice whisper gently into his ear. He glanced down at the photograph still in his hand as the words started to sink in.

"_Putrisqua!" _he cursed in panic. He walked out of the room as fast he could, not letting go of the picture frame, as his old heart began to beat madly against his rib cage. He _must_ alert the others before it is too late.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Spoiler: **Meridian

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**11**

"So _this _is the infamous P3Y-806,"

Daniel Jackson glanced at the other occupant in the room, smiling as he did so. It was almost five and yet the two men gave no indication of getting tired at all. The excitement his newest research assistant had shown earlier did not wane out and instead increased in intensity as the day progressed.

The wonder Jonas Quinn felt was clearly pronounced in his voice, and as he watched the kid read the first pages of the "mother file" of about three inches thick, Daniel could not help noticing how fast Jonas was flipping through the pages. Although owing to the fact that it was one of the Kelownian's hyper abilities, Daniel couldn't help remarking about it.

"You might wanna slow down, Jonas," Daniel teased.

His trademark megawatt smile appeared as he looked up at the archaeologist from where he was sitting. "This," he said, holding the blue folder up in front of him, "is fascinating."

It was Jonas' first day at work as Daniel's assistant and was eager to report for duty as soon as Sam let him go for the day. Daniel had to run an errand down to Colorado Springs that afternoon and had called Jonas up to tell him that he will be running late and gave the young man permission to get in his office and read the files he would be working on while waiting for him.

But Jonas never did.

He met Sam by the elevator and she'd told him that Jonas had called her up half an hour ago. The kid was hesitant in going inside Daniel's office without anyone at the base knowing about it. And there was more.

To his surprise, he found Jonas out in the hallway, sitting at the top landing of a nearby stairs, waiting patiently.

The Kelownian's security clearance had been upgraded as Gen. Hammond had promised. Although it was not like what it once was when he was still on SG-1, the areas he was now permitted to enter had increased tenfold. Areas that were essential to a research assistant. It had been Daniel's idea to give Jonas access to his office in case of emergencies. Like this one for example.

When asked why he did not use his keycard, Jonas had shrugged. That had left Daniel puzzled.

"Yep," Daniel agreed, as he continued cataloguing a bunch of photographs in front of him. He had asked Jonas to read the stack of folders that were placed at his feet before reading the '806 file.

"I never imagined one planet could cause this much trouble,"

"Yep," the archaeologist replied. And speaking of trouble… "Jonas,"

"Yes, Dr. Jackson?"

"How did you know that it was us?"

Jonas gave him one of his half-smile frowns.

"At the Gate Room," Daniel clarified. "Gen. Hammond said you knew that it was SG-1 even before the incoming wormhole connected with the Stargate." Curious blue eyes regarded the other man.

Jonas Quinn lightly scratched the tip of his nose. "Well, Walter said that no one was due back for a couple more hours and you guys were off world, so I put two-and-two together." When Daniel continued looking at him, Jonas went on. "Besides, when did SG-1 ever had anything remotely close to a routine mission?" He offered a tentative smile before going back to work.

Daniel's lips thinned. There was something Jonas was not telling and had kept his eyes averted throughout. "What about when you tackled Jack to the ground?"

The Kelownan shrugged, flipping another page. "Intuition?"

Jonas could feel Daniel's stare but tried his best to ignore it. He really wasn't reading the report laid open on his lap as he tried to analyse what really did happen back at the Gate Room that day. Jonas had replayed the scene more than a dozen times in his head trying to explain _how_ he had known that it was SG-1, and that they were in trouble, and the fact that the Colonel was going to get hurt. He could not ascribe it to his hyper-observant abilities because, in the first place, there had been _nothing_ to observe. Okay, so maybe he was being a bit harsh on himself. He _might _have guessed that it was SG-1 who was coming in but of the Colonel…

Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

He'd just known. Like he'd known who it was at the door of his office back in Kelowna even before they could show themselves. Just like he'd always known who were the ones he could rely on the countless government personalities who wanted to befriend him. Just like he knew that every time he set foot in the Ministry Palace, its alert levels were raised a notch or two higher. He'd just known and Jonas Quinn couldn't explain how he came to know _any_ these things.

He mentally shook his himself. Right now, he needed to concentrate on the task at hand. "I have a question," changing the topic seemed like a good idea. "These are just reports and there's nothing here for me to translate at all."

"Oh, yeah." Daniel began searching through the contents of his desk. "You ought to look at these first before you read that file," indicating the one in Jonas' hand. He saved the best for last. It only took Jonas a couple of steps to reach the archaeologist's clattered desk as Daniel pulled out two sets of coloured photographs and presented it to him. "These are the _surprise_ I was telling you about." Indicating the conversation they had before SG-1 left for P6I-037.

Jonas glanced at Daniel's smiling face before picking up one of them. He had no trouble identifying the first one. "A gate address?"

"Photographs taken by SG-20 on P3Y-806."

Jonas silently scanned through them. "Wow," he muttered, brows raised. "There are dozens of them."

"A hundred and forty-two gate addresses to be exact." Daniel corrected. "Forty-three if you include the one on the inscription stele." He plucked a photograph from the other set on the table and handed it over to Jonas.

Jonas frowned as he accepted the proffered photograph. "How many of these steles did SG-20 find?"

"Just two. The inscription stele and the one where all these gate addresses came from. Both were carved on a cliff wall five kilometres due west of the Stargate." He quickly typed a series of commands on his computer and invited Jonas to have a look-see.

Two images were placed side by side. The one on the right was indeed full of gate addresses but they were carved chaotically, like it was done in a hurry. There were holes, nicks and squiggles on some places that Jonas couldn't help thinking about how sloppy the workmanship of the person that made it was. Comparison could be easily made between the two since the inscription stele on the left was done meticulously and beautifully by its maker. But both were in a poor state of condition, owing to the weathering they had taken being exposed to the elements for who knows how long.

"Could you zoom in on that?"

Daniel lightly touched the image of stele number two on the left of the monitor and the section Jonas had requested was enlarged. It was a cartouche around a gate address. He inspected the photograph Daniel handed him. "Number one hundred forty-three's missing some symbols."

Daniel tapped the screen with the soft eraser head of his pencil. "The same gate address is repeated over the entire length of the second stele… or what was left of it." Daniel said thoughtfully. "The third through sixth symbols have been intentionally chipped out. Very Ancient Egyptian, I might add. Clearly an indication that– "

"- wherever this is had fallen out of grace with the inhabitants of '806." Jonas ended to Daniel's surprise. "A rebellion?"

Daniel shrugged as he reached for a handful of photographs from a heap near his left elbow. "The people of Earth and others like us who revolted against the Goa'uld had found ways to eradicate any connection with our oppressors. The same thing may hold true here."

"So, you think this might be the planet of the System Lord – "

"- who used to be in charge of '806? It's the only address that's been placed inside a cartouche and the only one carved in the inscription stele, so it is possible." Daniel said with a tight smile, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But we can never know for sure now, would we?"

"What about the inscriptions?" Jonas suggested. "What does it say?"

There was a slight reddening of Daniel's cheeks as he coughed politely. "Uh, it's an entirely new language and we've nothing to base it with. Hopefully, we might able to find a Rosetta Stone on one of the 142 planets among other things."

"How many have you already checked out?"

Another cough. "Thirty-eight," Daniel confessed. "Well, we can't ignore other base operations, you know."

"What about its inhabitants?" Quickly changing the subject. "Made initial contact with any of them?"

"SG-20 never met any. But then again, they didn't wander too far from the Stargate."

"Have they found the cause as to why we couldn't get a lock on it before now?"

"The Stargate was embedded at the foot of a mountain. Must've been buried for years. Something must have caused the section that was covering it to collapse although we can't tell _what_ exactly."

Jonas grunted as he straightened up. "Could I borrow these photos for a while, Dr. Jackson? And also the files."

"Sure. No problem,"

Jonas smiled his thanks, sat back on his chair and began filing them away inside the '806 file.

"I see Rhougan's back from Kelowna."

"Yes, he arrived a few hours ago."

Silence. "I heard you had quite a row this morning." When Jonas' head snapped in his direction, Daniel thought it best to go straight to the point. "Sam told me." He said quietly.

Jonas was distressed. "Does Teal'c and the Colonel – "

"No," Daniel said calmly, shaking his head. He crossed his arms in front of him. Jonas seemed very relieved at hearing this. The fact that Jonas did not deny it meant that he was willing to open up. Still, Daniel had to ask. "Want to talk about it?"

Jonas just sat there. He knew that the archaeologist was giving him an opportunity to back out but he owed Daniel one. Big time.

"Don't think anything bad about Rhougan," Jonas began with a plea. "He and my father had been friends long before I was even born. He never married and we were the only family he's got, Dad and I. Before he became my aide, Rhougan had been my father's assistant and confidant – Dad was an archaeologist like yourself. You never would've guessed all the amazing things the two of them discovered when Dad was alive. And when our Stargate research began seventeen years ago, Dad brought Rhougan along – "

Daniel held up a hand. He hates to interrupt but at the mention of the Langaran Stargate, he had to ask. "Wait, your father was one of the first scientists in the research?" That was something they never knew.

Jonas nodded. "Actually, he headed the entire research team and oversaw everything that was excavated from the ancient temple of the Goa'uld Thanos."

Daniel's brows went straight up. That was a surprise. "You never mentioned this before."

Puzzled, Jonas could only answer, "You never asked." When Daniel fell silent, he continued. "I was only fifteen when Dad died and Rhougan automatically became my guardian. There were two other couples who wanted to adopt me but they couldn't contest my father's wishes. Anyway, Rhougan has this tendency to be too overprotective at times and has always been there to remind me of things. Maybe he thinks I am still a minor or something." He chuckled.

"So what was he reminding you about?"

Jonas seemed to hesitate. "A promise I made to Dreylock."

"And that would be?" Daniel gently prodded, making small circular motions with his hand, urging the Kelownan to continue.

Jonas took a deep breath. "To not participate in any of the Command's operations,"

Dr. Daniel Jackson blinked and looked at the younger man from above the rim of his glasses. "_What?"_

"I had to agree, Dr. Jackson," Jonas tried to desperately explain the situation to the archaeologist. "Otherwise, the First Minister would've withdrawn her support and another would be sitting here with you right now. She only told me _after_ I was declared to be the next Ambassador to Earth. She knew I could never say no to this. And if you look at it, I'm not at the front-line – "

"Still," Daniel interrupted, "you gave your word to Dreylock and Rhougan had every right to be furious. The way I see it, Dreylock wanted him to come with you to make sure that you are true to your word."

"Well, what do they expect me to do? Do nothing while there's a battle being waged out there?"

"I think that's what Dreylock had in mind," Daniel said firmly. "Listen, Jonas, your safety is her primary concern and that shows just how much a compassionate leader she is to your people. She allowed you to return because I think she knew that you're the right man for the job and that you're good at what you do. I guess I can understand where she's coming from, given some of the things I've read and heard about what really made Jack stir crazy."

Jonas couldn't help chuckling. He knew what Daniel was talking about. "What can I say? I can't help it if the Colonel doesn't want to baby sit nerdies, Dr. Jackson."

"Just Daniel," the archaeologist suggested, smiling.

Jonas grinned, nodding. "Daniel." His features turned serious once again as he looked at him. "So, are you going to fold me in?" He dreaded the other man's answer but he needed to know.

"_Turn_ you in, Jonas," Daniel corrected with a sigh, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

"So… are you?"

"What," Daniel's brow arched elegantly, "and lose a very inquisitive, hyper-observant research assistant? Nah!" He threw a thin blue folder at a madly grinning Jonas Quinn who caught it. "Nice catch."

"American Football."

"Excuse me?"

Jonas' dark green eyes were twinkling in merriment. "I watched a record of this year's Super Bowl last night and I have to say that I am fast becoming a fan of it."

"Yeah, well, don't let Jack hear you say that."

Jonas nodded conspiratorially. He looked at the folder. "P6I-037? The giant bug planet?"

"Yep,"

"Are you thinking of returning there, Dr. J- Daniel?" Jonas corrected.

Daniel looked up from what he was doing. "Not unless we get to bring lots of bug spray. And I mean _a _lot."

Gate klaxon. Followed by a male mechanical voice. Incoming wormhole.

Daniel and Jonas stood up in unison and headed straight for the Control Room. They found that the others were already there.

"What gives?" Jack asked after nodding at Daniel and Jonas as they entered the room.

"The Langarans," Hammond said, looking at the irised Stargate.

Jonas frowned. He sensed a presence nearby and turned. Rhougan was standing just at the threshold of the Control Room.

"Radio transmission, General," Walter announced. "Audio only."

"_Earth Stargate Command, this is Professor Aradaean Vinril of Kelowna, can you hear me?"_

Jonas huddled closer to the control board, completely taken by surprise. Why was the professor calling?

"This is General Hammond, Commander of Stargate Command. We read you loud and clear, professor," Hammond replied, looking at the others.

"_I wish to speak with Ambassador Jonas Quinn."_

Everyone turned to the Kelownan.

"I'm here, professor," Jonas answered.

"_Ambassador! I am sorry to be the bearer of unfortunate news. But you must return immediately to Kelowna. Something has happened!"_

The urgency in the man's voice echoed in the room. Jonas' heart fluttered erratically. "What is it, professor?"

"_There has been a series of break-ins at the houses of everyone that is involved with the project, Ambassador. Including yours."_

"What!"

"_You must come immediately. We need to check if anything was taken from your residence."_

Jonas was too shocked to speak. Jack took over.

"Thank you for informing Ambassador Quinn, professor," the Colonel said, casting a worried sideways glance at the young man. "We will be there shortly."

"_Who is this?"_

"Colonel Jack O'Neill of SG-1, sir."

"_Oh, thank you for escorting the Ambassador, Colonel. I shall be waiting by the Stargate. Vinril out."_


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **To Kelowna… and beyond! No connection with the story whatsoever… I just like saying it. LOL!

* * *

**12****  
**

Hammond had given them the all clear as soon as they'd disengaged the wormhole and everyone got busy. They re-assembled back in the Gate Room fifteen minutes later, SG-1 in their full regalia while Jonas had once again donned his civilian garb. Rhougan Dubois was also there. He'd wanted to come along but three voices told him no all at the same time.

Daniel Jackson, Sam Carter and Jonas Quinn.

Teal'c looked at them questioningly while Jack found the situation funny. The three people he expected to invite the guy along were the very ones that had turned him down. He would've laughed but one look at their faces, he thought that it would be smart enough not to if he valued his life. Jack was uncomfortable having the aide around so backing up the three wasn't that hard a decision to make. And that made the Colonel wonder. He would have to ask them one of these days.

Rhougan Dubois though, was allowed to watch from the Control Room, which the man grudgingly agreed to. Jack knew that the Kelownan would be watched wherever he went.

"So," the Colonel said as the Ancient device began to spin, "this project. Care to tell us about it?"

"It's not Stargate-related so I didn't bother informing you guys."

_Kid's got a point, _Jack thought. "Still, it's the reason why we're heading back to your planet. At least, a little background would help."

"It's a satellite project," Jonas replied after a moment's pause. "If ever we are successful, Langara will have its very first weather satellite."

Everyone's head turned at this revelation.

"Really?"

"That's great!"

"I congratulate you, Jonas Quinn."

Jonas thanked his three other companions with a smile.

"And you think this thing's the reason why you got burgled?"

Jonas was totally convinced. "I see no other reason, Colonel. And you heard what Professor Vinril said."

"And Vinril is?" Daniel asked curiously.

"A mentor and a friend of Dr. Keiran," Jonas replied, "I let him handle all project operations since I was busy with the Joint Ruling Council. You'll certainly like him, Sam."

"_Chevron Seven… locked!"_

"You are clear to go, SG-1." Hammond announced over the PA system. "Good luck!"

They started for the ramp.

"Since you're the one who spearheaded this project, you got to name both the project _and _the satellite." Jack thought out aloud. "Right?"

Jonas fell into step with the Colonel. "Yes."

"So what did you name it?" the Colonel watched Daniel pause at the top landing to look back at the Control Room giving the General standing by the view port a slight nod of the head as he and Jonas trailed the others in a leisurely pace.

"_Enosh_,"

Jack grunted.

The Kelownan stopped and turned to look at him with a dubious frown. "You don't like it."

Jack backtracked and faced the young man. "I didn't say that," he said gently reproving him as he raised a hand.

"Not plainly, no."

"Yeah, well, don't get me wrong," Jack tried his best to explain. "Enosh isn't a bad name at all. It's unique. It's cool. But the way people do things around here is that you name it after someone, y'know, that you really look up to or someone who really had a big influence in your life."

Over Jack's shoulder, Jonas saw Daniel roll his eyes heavenwards all the while shaking his head before stepping through the wormhole. He knew what the archaeologist was thinking. What made the Colonel think that Enosh was not a name? "Well – "

"Take the Asgards, for example." Jack continued. "They got attack ships named after members of SG-1 – yours included, mind – "

"They do?"

"Just got commissioned two weeks ago – "

Jonas pulled his head back as he clasped both hands in front of him. "Really?"

"Yep. I think Freya's the proud captain of your namesake." Jack ended with a grin.

Jonas grunted.

"So back to that satellite – "

"No." Jonas firmly said. He nimbly sidestepped Jack as he headed for the Stargate.

Jack turned around to look at Jonas' retreating back. "What? Why?"

"It _already _has a name, Colonel." Jonas simply said, turning to look over his shoulder at Jack who missed the playful smile on his lips. He stopped a step or two away from the open wormhole before turning around, the smile completely gone. "I just can't change it to the _Eagle _or _Star Wars _or _Jack O'Neill _– "

"Now there's an idea!" Jack encouraged enthusiastically.

Jonas shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. I just can't."

Jack grunted. He slowly closed the remaining distance between himself and Jonas. "Just seeing if you could name it after me. The _Colonel _would be nice, though. Or _Colonel O'Neill _would do." He looked at Jonas straight in the eye. "I _did _influence you at some point, right?"

Jonas simply smiled at him apologetically as he took a step backwards.

"Not even the _O'Neill_?" Jack made one final entreaty.

Another step back and the kid immediately disappeared through the 'gate.

"No?" Jack's shoulders visibly slumped, sighing as he did so. "Well, it was worth a try," he grumbled before entering the wormhole and was gone.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

"_Oh no…"_

Daniel Jackson stopped whatever he was doing upon hearing the distressed voice emanating from the open door on the other side of the huge room. He quickly closed the distance, carefully picking his way through the already chaotic room.

"Jonas? Is every… thing…"

He found himself in a small room, way smaller than the anteroom that immediately preceded the huge bedroom where Daniel was a second ago. It had floor to ceiling shelves that covered the walls and all of them were empty. They must've housed a lot of things before, a collection of sorts in his point of view. Must've been impressive, too, no doubt. But whatever thingamabobs used to be there were all now jumbled – and broken – into one giant mess on the floor.

And kneeling before it, his back to him, was Jonas Quinn.

"Jonas?" Daniel softly called out again.

A trembling hand reached out among the wreckage and plucked out what looked like a broken mast of a small ship. "Siler and Harriman gave this to me before I left," Jonas told him, voice thick with emotion. He reverently placed it beside him as he began to search for more. "I stored all of the gifts here as soon as I returned and knew their places on the shelves by heart."

His hand dug deeper and his hand came in contact with something hard and waxy. Jonas quickly pulled it out. It was one of the candles Teal'c had given him. "I thought they were safe here…"

Daniel knelt beside him. "There's nothing you could've done, Jonas. No one saw this coming."

Jonas seemed not to hear him. "Good thing I brought Cassie's photo album with me back to Stargate Command. She'd kill me if something bad happens to it," he managed a shaky laugh, not stopping to glance up at Daniel. "That and the tags the Colonel gave me."

Daniel stood there, at a loss for what to say. Jonas was clearly hurting and the archaeologist felt angry, sad and worried. He had been since they'd left the complex where the Langaran Stargate was located and a brooding Jonas Quinn had slowly succumbed into complete and total silence as they'd neared their destination. Everyone had kept looking in his direction from time to time, clearly worried at this unusual behaviour. Even Jack.

"There must be something here worth salvaging." Jonas said desperately. "Help me, Daniel."

The plea in the young man's voice twisted at his heart. The least he could do was help and as he began scouring through the mess, he offered Jonas an encouraging smile and went to work.

Ten minutes later, the two found quite a handful that they could bring back with them to Earth. As the pile beside them began to mount, Jonas' face was slowly lighting up and a ghost of a smile would sometimes appear here and there.

"_How come he never mentioned that he owned a place like this?" _Jack's voice suddenly crackled over the radio, surprising them both. Daniel had completely forgotten about it.

He heard Jonas snort. "It's because we never asked," the archaeologist said gruffly.

"I never thought I'd see this place again," Jonas explained under his breath, referring to his exile on Earth two years ago. When Daniel's radio remained silent, Jonas carried as much as he could in his arms and entered the bedroom.

Daniel followed suit, carrying the rest of what they could recover from the wreckage. Jonas had placed his on the bed staring at it, his dark mood threatening to return.

"_Daniel, you and Jonas got those blueprints yet?"_

"Uh, almost there, Jack," he replied, seeing Jonas nod once and headed for the anteroom. Daniel quickly followed him out, through the end of the long hallway, turned right and saw Jonas entering the only door in this part of the manor.

It was another huge room and there were a lot of interesting things within. It looked a lot like a private library; with a round, open central chamber where one could easily see an upper level and a sturdy spiral staircase that connects the two levels. There were two archways leading to two different areas on the ground floor as well as another two on the second level. Floor to ceiling shelves also lined the walls.

"This place looks a lot like the English houses back on Earth," Daniel could not help but comment on the room.

"You like it? This was my father's study." Jonas remarked as he led Daniel up the staircase and into one of the archways. "Dad and Rhougan built this house and everything that you see here was my Dad's. Most of them are souvenirs from excavations he led around Langara."

"Quite the collection," Daniel said as he followed Jonas further into the room. "Do we get to see yours?"

"Mine are just books, Daniel, and they only occupy two rooms in this house: my bedroom and the study downstairs." Jonas smiled. "Anyway, the artefacts in here were some of my Dad's collection," Jonas informed him distractedly as he began pulling out some books from the central shelf behind a huge wooden working table.

The archaeologist, who was studying the contents on the table, did a double take. "Some?"

Finally, Jonas gave a sigh of satisfaction as the area was finally cleared. He then crouched a little as his hand reached inside for something. Daniel moved closer. A few seconds more, they heard a soft _pop-hiss _coming from the back of the shelf. He couldn't see what Jonas was doing but when he finally stepped back, he was holding a slim metallic cylinder about a foot long in his right hand.

"Is that – ?"

"The _Enosh _blueprints, yes." Jonas smiled. "We knew that once the project had been disclosed to the public that many would attempt to acquire them by any means necessary so the First Minister, Professor Vinril and I decided to hide them for the time being."

"And the professor has a copy of them as well?" Jonas had never really told them anything about it and Vinril had been too concerned by the break-in to really get anything else out of him.

Jonas unscrewed the top. "Yes. There are only two in print. Actually, m—"

Daniel saw the Kelownian's face visibly drain of colour. "What is it?"

"The blueprints…" Jonas whispered, his dark green eyes widened in horror. "They're gone."

"Oh no…"

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

Jack whistled long and slow. He could not help being impressed as he leisurely surveyed the room his team had found themselves upon. Actually, he had been suppressing the urge the minute they entered the property's main gates, saw the sprawling manor in a distance, seen it up close later on and finally stepped into the foyer of the Quinn residence.

Now, residence was an understatement. The entire place was huge. Residence was not the right word to use at all. This was an estate. And places like this says a lot about the wealth and status of its owner. And it all belonged to someone they had not expected something like this to come from.

"Nice digs," Jack said to no one in particular.

He glanced up at the high-vaulted ceiling adjusting his ball cap to see better while the other hand reached up for his radio. Sunlight streaming through a pair of tall of windows were enough to provide illumination into the spacious room. Although considering the chaotic state the room was in, it did not diminish the grandeur of the entire place at all.

Prof. Vinril was there to greet them on the other side and immediately ushered them out of the complex and into an awaiting vehicle. Kelowna's capital was a sizeable city so it nearly took them an hour to reach the edge of it and a few minutes more to reach their destination. Enough time for the aged man to fill them of the current situation.

It would seem that it was the aged man who alerted the authorities about it. He had discovered his office broken in along with the houses of several key members of the project that same day. Every precaution had been taken and the remaining houses that were left untouched, including Vinril's, were now being guarded by the order of the First Minister who was currently out of the country and had ordered her Head of Security to look upon the matter in her stead.

No one thought that the intruders would even think of raiding the Quinn residence until it was too late.

"How come he never mentioned that he owned a place like this?" O'Neill suddenly asked out of curiosity, still looking up.

"_It's because we never asked," _Daniel gruffly said over the radio, before hearing another voice speaking in the background.

Jack tore his eyes away from the ceiling to look at Sam as she silently walked around the room inspecting all the while trying to hide a smile creeping up her face.

It was true. They never really asked anything about Jonas Quinn's life prior to his arrival on Earth. The kid had been with them for more than a year. Jack suspected Jonas knew more about their personal lives, their likes and dislikes, the way they think and the way they do things than what little they knew about him.

Jack simply never bothered to learn anything about the Kelownan from the start. Sam was too preoccupied with Jonas' hyper abilities and the way their brains were in sync with each other where technology and relative theories of just about everything were concerned to really ask about Jonas' personal life. Teal'c must've known something but he was not the kiss-and-tell type. Daniel probably knew the moment he Ascended but it must also be one of the things that the Ancients wiped out from his memory before they'd kicked him out of their club.

"I still can't believe that Jonas actually lives here," Sam told her CO.

"How so, Major Carter?" asked Vinril.

The twinkle in her blue eyes dimmed a little as she tried to explain. "I've always pictured him as the bachelor pad kind of guy living in the city where all the action is. My entire house could fit in here and would still have a _lot _of room to spare."

_Yep, that's one way of putting it, _Jack thought.

Vinril stepped over a broken chaise longue to approach the far end of the rectangular room where tall bookshelves lined half of it. "Ambassador Quinn inherited this manor and its grounds from his father shortly after he died – among other things. He used to live in an apartment in the capital but it changed hands after he came to seek refuge on your world."

Sam was hunched over a toppled bookshelf, inspecting it closely. "Well, the house is basically intact. If they were just common thieves, then they would've already ransacked the place." She wondered, indicating what looked like expensive items around the room. "All they ever really touched were Jonas' room and this one."

"You mean they had good Intel about this place?" Jack said. That was the only logical explanation that he could think of at the moment. They looked at one another.

"You think that they got what they came here for?" the Major asked quietly.

"We'll see," The Colonel reached for his radio. "Daniel, you and Jonas got those blueprints yet?"

"_Uh, almost there, Jack,"_

"This is the Ambassador's study," Vinril announced a few seconds later, looking around the room. His grey eyes saddened at the condition of the place. "Jonas never used his father's after he died and instead converted this small library into what it is right now."

"They seemed pretty close." Jack parted the curtain to look out watching out for any sign of Teal'c who decided to take a look around the estate grounds alone. "Him and his old man."

"I never really knew the Quinns until after Jonas entered college, highly accelerated and newly orphaned that he was. But I have heard enough from those who do believe that there is not a bond that is as strong as the relationship between father and son." The professor gave another heavy sigh, he looked as if he was waging an inner battle with himself. "Frankly, I do not know why I am telling you this. But I feel that I could trust you knowing that you are Jonas Quinn's friends."

Sam stopped whatever she was doing and Jack turned to face the room, leaning on the wall.

"I have been told that Dr. Quinn's wife died at the height of the Kel-Andariian border disputes years ago when the family used to live near the contested border. The scientist was not there when a group of Andarii soldiers raided their small community one night took everything they wanted and killed every member of the household. Jonas was nearing his ninth birth-year then."

The effort seemed to have weakened Vinril as he carefully sat on the broken chaise longue. The two Air Force officers looked at each other. Jack could see Sam's horror at the glimpse into Jonas Quinn's life that was being revealed to them. Neither said anything, holding their breaths as they waited for the professor to continue. Jack had a distinct feeling that whatever was about to come next was not going to be good.

"News of the massacre spread like wildfire throughout Kelowna and everyone was clamouring for the government to retaliate. Out of a thousand only a score of the village's population remained. They were mostly kids and also a handful of adults who'd hidden the children up in the mountains during the raid but Jonas was not among them. Everyone helped searching for him but to no avail. As the days progressed, it was believed that Jonas had perished along with everyone else."

"What did his father do after that?" Sam asked.

"He thought he'd lost both his wife and child to the raid and so, had decided to leave the place to live here and buried himself in work. They said that the scientist never slept nor ate properly during that time."

Sam glanced around worriedly at her CO whose face was shuttered and there was a deadened look in his honey brown eyes. She had seen him like this before and her heart went out to him every time the memory of losing Charlie assailed him every now and then.

Jack knew what it felt like to lose a son to whom you poured all your love and attention to and he seemed to be reliving the pain and anger he felt following the days of Charlie's death. He slowly swept his eyes up to meet Sam's troubled ones. They said nothing but their eyes were enough to convey what they wanted the other to know.

Vinril never noticed the silent exchange as he continued. "A few months after that, Dr. Quinn visited a friend who worked at one of the orphanages in the city. That was where he found his son, very much alive, but he was suffering from memory loss. They claimed that a couple found him wandering in the woods three hundred miles from the village. Jonas could remember anything but he was mumbling unintelligible words and had continued to do so for the next few weeks."

"Three hundred miles?" Sam repeated incredulously. "_On foot?"_

Vinril shrugged. "No one truly knows how he came to wander that far from home, Major. But it was theorised that either his mother let him escape or he was not there when the raid took place. His father never left his son's side after that."

Just then, their radios crackled to life.

"_O'Neill,"_

"What you got, T?"

"_The Kelownan authorities were correct. They came out the same way they had come in. I cannot see any footprints anywhere else in the estate but I will make another round if you wish."_

"No. Just get back here as soon as you can."

Teal'c relied his compliance and the radio fell silent.

"Has Jonas told you about the _Enosh?" _Vinril suddenly asked.

"You mean the weather satellite?" Jack asked. "What could they possibly want with it? It's just a thing that orbits the planet and takes pictures of the scenery in space. It's not like you'd become a god or something. And what kind of a name is "Enosh" anyway?" Jack asked in a rather irritating voice.

"Not exactly," Sam openly glared at her CO for his tactlessness. To insult what would be the most advanced piece of technology a country like Kelowna could produce was dangerous. "We've never been around long enough to have any descent conversations with the Ambassador."

"The project was his brainchild," Vinril explained. "For months we have been unsuccessful in trying to incorporate the naquadria as the _Enosh_'s main source of power – "

Sam's head snapped up so sudden she felt like she broke her neck. "What?"

"We never told anyone, not even the authorities that were here a while ago, anything about the blueprints being within these walls and that's what the men were after. We simply do not know who to trust." Vinril explained. "We wanted to find another use for the naquadria that would be beneficial to the people of Langara other than use it to produce weapons of mass destruction as Jonas would say. But once it becomes public, we feared that many would try and attempt to steal them."

"And you did find a way to use the naquadria without blowing yourselves to kingdom come?" Jack asked matter-of-factly much to Sam's distress.

Vinril smiled at this. "Yes,"

Both military officers looked at one another. Jack could see the childish excitement dancing in his 2IC's eyes. He knew what she was thinking.

"Sir – "

Jack silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Major, uh-uh!" He walked over the widow and took another peek outside. Sam was going to talk techno-babble again and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"But imagine – "

Jack suddenly lifted his fist not taking his eyes away from the grounds below. Silence greeted his action as Sam knew what that signal meant. He caught a glimpse of movement by the tall shrubbery a few meters ahead. Something tells him that it wasn't Teal'c. This is not good.

"T, where are you?"

"_I am on my way back to the manor, O'Neill,"_

"Make it fast. We may have some uninvited guests."

"_Understood,"_

"Daniel," Jack moved away from the window, "meet us at the bottom of the stairs. We got company."

"_Uh, guys, we have a problem."_

"Later, Daniel," He nodded at Sam as they both pulled their P-90's safeties off. The group began to move, senses alert. Jack took the lead and opened the door, Sam and Vinril right behind him.

"_But, Jack – "_

"I said get your asses down here _now_!"

The stairs was still a good distance away but if they hurried, they could be there in no time. The intruders were still a hundred or so meters from the house; plenty of time to get Daniel and Jonas, meet Teal'c halfway and get the hell out of there.

With this in mind, Jack quickly turned a corner, taking them directly to the stairs where they will meet up with the two men.

And that's when all hell broke loose.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **First of, I would like to say thank you to everyone who greeted me on my birthday last April 20. Next, to those who had been with me since the beginning and also to those who had just discovered this fic as something worth their while. My workload has lightened up but still not enough to return to my weekly updates so I would have to ask for your forgiveness for it will take me more than a week or two to post the next chapters. And also thank you all for the wonderful reviews.

**Content Warning:** A few swear words. No need to elaborate who does the swearing. And minor whumping, if you could call it that. :)

* * *

**13****  
**

A loud, deafening chorus of guns discharging echoed from the other side of the hallway and one bullets took a huge chunk out of the corner wall where Jack had been standing a split second ago.

The military man instinctively drew back into the relative protection of the passageway they'd come from and flattened himself against it. Jack cradled the P-90 in his arms, flinching as their unknown attackers continued firing at their direction.

"How many?" Sam almost shouted beside him in order to be heard above the din. The section of the wall that was exposed to the attackers was now being pulverized under the continuous bombardment. Smaller fragments of it rained on them as a light grey powdery substance floated in the air.

Jack shook his head. "Can't say," he answered, raising his own voice. "But from the sound of it – " –another bullet ricocheted off the wall near Jack's shoulder- " – I'd say more than one!"

As soon as Jack ended his statement, the men stopped firing and complete silence fell around them. Well, it _should _have been silent except Jack's ears were ringing continuously. Puzzled at this sudden inactivity, Jack risked a peek at the connecting hallway and was rewarded with a couple of shots as he quickly ducked his head back.

This was not good. Not good at all. From what he could tell, a couple of them were heading towards the stairs. The same stairs where Daniel and Jonas were about to appear _any moment now_. They'd be easy targets. Okay, so Daniel had a side-arm and a Zat-gun but Jack doubted if the scientist would be able to draw either of them in time. Jonas would fare no better – he wasn't carrying any weapons _at all_.

He opened fire and quickly retreated as another volley spat right back at him but not before hearing two voices cry out in pain. He was certain that he got two of the men trying to reach the stairs. Sam immediately positioned herself on the opposite wall facing her CO. When Jack tried the manoeuvre a second time, their attackers were ready for him.

"_Jack, we're almost a– "_

"Negative! Bogeys are heading your way. Get the hell outta there!"

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

_"... the hell outta there!"_**  
**

The last sentence had the desired effect on the two men who immediately skidded to a halt, Daniel reaching out a hand to stop Jonas. They were less than forty feet away from the stairs; the shots they'd been hearing were coming from down below… and they could distinctly hear footsteps climbing the stairs. They looked at each other.

"Whoops! Too late," Daniel whispered, blue eyes widening in alarm.

Jonas grabbed his friend's arm. "In here!" and led Daniel into the nearest hallway. Neither looked back to see five heavily armed men reach the top of the stairs and run after them.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

"They're advancing, colonel."

Jack signalled his 2IC to take point as he watched their six while they retreated. He kept a close vigil on the hallway behind them, knowing full well that the men were not far behind. Vinril was trying his best to keep up with them but Jack could hear the old man's wheezing breath.

They appeared at the end of the hallway firing as they did so. Jack returned fire as Sam pushed the professor away from harm before taking position alongside him to assist. Three more fell and stayed down as the others dove back into the safety of the other passageways connected to it.

"Go!" Jack yelled. He fired a short burst down the hallway before running after Sam and Vinril. Now would be a good time for Teal'c to show up. He hailed the Jaffa over the radio but to no avail. "Come on, buddy, where are you?" Did the big guy encounter the rest of their attackers en route there?

_Dammit! _Jack's mind screamed in frustration. They were being pushed farther away from the stairs. He had no time to play this game and he was starting to get worried about another member of his team. _Think, Jack, think! _They need to get to the two men upstairs fast. He looked back down the hallway they had just left.

"Know any other way to get to the second floor, prof?"

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

"East wing?"

Jonas Quinn had managed to shove him into one of the rooms, quickly shutting it, just as they heard footsteps rushing down the corridor they were on seconds before. Daniel nodded his thanks as the noise faded away and both released sighs of relief.

"It's the nearest staircase around," Jonas jerked a thumb behind him. "It's a bit far from here but I know a short cut."

"Sounds like a plan," Daniel un-holstered both the Zat-gun and his side-arm and seemed to contemplate between the two. Finally, he handed Jonas the Zat-gun without a word and that elicited a questioning frown from his friend.

"I'm a better shot than you," Daniel explained. As if trying to emphasize his words, the archaeologist ejected the clip from the gun, inspected its contents, slaps it back on, cocked the gun and took off the safeties like a pro. "Nothing personal," he added in a reassuring tone.

Jonas merely shrugged as he powered up the Zat-gun, his other hand gripping the doorknob. "Ready?"

"Not really, no," Daniel muttered under his breath as he grasped the gun firmly on both hands, his forefinger hovering near the trigger as he pointed the barrel of the gun to the ground.

Jonas silently counted to ten before opening the door a crack and slipped outside. He waited for Daniel to emerge, alert for any signs of their pursuers. "This way," he jerked his head on the hallway to their left, their footsteps muffled by the plush crimson carpet that lined the hallways of the manor.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

"I have a bad feeling about this," Jack said in a hushed voice. Something was definitely wrong here and it was making the hairs on the back of Jack's neck tingle unpleasantly. "See anything, Carter?"

"No, sir," Sam replied, looking at her CO in a funny way. They'd been walking around for more than five minutes now without encountering anyone. "They seemed to have sort of, I dunno, disappeared?"

Jack grunted softly, his eyes sweeping the area around them. Silence had permeated the air and that in itself was eerie enough for him. "Now, why'd they do that when they easily outnumbered us?" Sam could only offer a shrug.

_Ambush? _No. Didn't look like it. Jack's instinct was not relaying that kind of impression. It's tingling, all right, but for another reason. Just then shots rang out from somewhere above and Jack's hand automatically reached up for his radio. "Daniel?"

Gunfire could be heard in the background. "_We're under fire… we could use a little help here."_

Jack swore. "Can you make it to the east wing of the manor?"

"_We're _already _there," _Daniel answered, "_but we're cut off from the stairs."_

Jack sensed the Major looking at him. "How far, prof?"

"Just down that hall, Colonel."

"Okay. Sit tight. We're coming to get you." Jack said to Daniel but he got no reply, just gunfire.

As Sam closely followed Vinril, Jack once again took his position in the rear. His mind was churning out a plan. Get to Daniel and Jonas first then they'd _all_ go and search for Teal'c. Well, it really wasn't a plan but for Jack, it was something rather than nothing at all.

"You hearing all this, T?" Jack said over the radio which remained silent.

The stairs appeared at the end of the hallway and the group proceeded with caution. The fire-fight was getting closer and louder. The familiar whine of the Zat-gun being fired incessantly reached their ears. Jack rested the butt of his P-90 against his right shoulder and aimed it at the stairwell while Sam instructed the professor to take cover before joining him, likewise aiming her P-90 up at it.

They climbed up in unison taking up positions on both sides of the stairs. Neither blinked as they slowly reached the top.

Ten feet away, directly ahead of them stood five men, huddled in the corridors with their backs to them. They were busy shooting down the main corridor to notice their approach. Jack signalled for Sam to take cover and also did the same.

"Hey, fellas!"

Surprise lit up the men's faces when they heard him holler behind them. They immediately turned to engage the Colonel but one by one they fell in quick succession, writhing in pain before passing out. Highly charged blue electrical energy danced around their unmoving bodies before it dissipated into the atmosphere.

Jack craned his neck to look down the corridor and watched as two men emerged from it. Sam appeared beside them relieved to see that none of them were hurt.

"Everybody okay?" Three confirmations answered his question. "Was that everyone?" he nodded at the direction of their downed assailants.

"Pretty much," Daniel replied, looking at them as well.

Jack looked down at the weapons in their hands. "Nice shooting," he said, complimenting Jonas.

Daniel and Jonas merely looked at one another. "That was just luck," Daniel grumbled. Jonas merely shrugged.

"Did you get the blueprints?" Sam asked, looking them over.

Daniel jutted his jaw before answering. "Someone already got to it before we did."

"So that's a no?" Jack who was farther down the corridor ahead of them inquired, kicking the weapons away from the unconscious men. He poked them one by one with his boot, making sure that they were really out cold.

"Yes," the archaeologist nodded grimly.

"Are you sure that's where you put it last?"

Everyone turned to see Vinril standing at the top landing, his breathing a little laboured from the climbing he did. Jonas immediately made his way over to the old man's side, slowly leading him back to the others.

"Positive, professor." Jonas said. "Rhougan was there to – "

"Ugh!"

There was a brilliant flash from behind them and Sam was knocked down to her side. Daniel quickly turned around to aim as Jack fell on one knee, twisting his upper torso to bear down his weapon at the direction the energy bolt had come from.

Jonas pushed the professor with him to the wall beside the entrance and powered up the Zat-gun, desperately searching where their attacker was taking cover.

The archaeologist grunted as the next shot hit him squarely in the chest, the force of the blast propelling him backwards. He landed with a dull thud on the carpeted floor and did not move. A third aimed for the Colonel who quickly rolled away and managed to reach the nearest hallway. Shots continued coming his way, effectively pinning the Air Force officer to where he was.

Jack mouthed the words "What the – !" as soon as his eyes met Jonas'. The kid was as bewildered as he and it clearly reflected in his dark green eyes. Kelowna and its neighbouring countries do not possess such kind of technology.

Jonas wanted so much to reach his injured friends and pull them both to safety without injuring himself in the process. He and Vinril were the nearest ones to reach them. He gritted his teeth. There was no time to plan a strategy. The man was closing in on them. He had to act now.

Jonas let loose a couple of shots down the corridor momentarily distracting the enemy from his continued assault on Jack. The commanding officer seemed to have read his mind and fired a few shots himself. That should make their enemy think twice before cockily advancing towards them.

Jack nodded at him and asked Vinril to stay put before running towards Sam. He grabbed hold of her jacket collar as Jack provided cover, hauling her inert form into the relative protection of their hiding place. Next in line was Daniel. He was a few feet away from them and as Jonas sprinted towards the archaeologist a shot hit the floor near his left foot. Jack shot everything he had, not risking a glance behind him to check on the young man's progress.

A shot passed way too close Jack's face and he averted that part of his anatomy to one side to avoid being hit. But as he turned to look back at the corridor again, a barrel of a very big, nasty gun greeted him instead.

"Don't move."

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

He saw him spring out into the open for the second time to reach the last of his fallen comrades. And this time, he was ready. Lokan Todare had been in this business since he reached his adolescent years under the strict supervision of his father and siblings. One could say that he was already a veteran in collecting bounties from anyone who was willing to pay for his services even though he was only at the early stages of adulthood. Most of his illustrious clientele included Goa'uld System Lords.

He never thought he'd live to see the day that a Goa'uld would willingly part with half his fortune for the capture of a human. If he was lucky enough, which he never doubted one little bit, this would certainly cover everything for him quite nicely and he'd still have a lot to spend well until his dying days.

But he was curious. He wanted to know why the demand for the capture of this Jonas Quinn was such a high-profile case and everyone he knew as after the same prize. Lokan would bet on his mother's black soul, wherever she may be, that this was not done out on a whim. Jonas Quinn must've done something that rendered the System Lord "inconsolable". He would remember to ask his client's representative once this mission was accomplished.

Lokan also recognized the people who were with his prized "merchandise." The three members of the infamous SG-1 of the Tau'ri. They, too, belonged to the most high-prized bounties in the entire galaxy and he was sorely tempted to capture every single one of them. Especially the _shol'va _Teal'c who was not there. He had also considered capturing Dr. Daniel Jackson who was currently sprawled to the ground cold since his client wanted the two of them. But he was not a greedy man and he was contented on capturing the highest prize of them all.

He had tracked Jonas Quinn's presence here by mere chance and whatever gods there be must be smiling down on him. He had followed them to this place and had even helped eliminate a few of their attackers, just so to be sure that his prey would not be harmed at all.

The leader of this small group, Colonel Jack O'Neill, had been labelled as a very formidable enemy and should be approached with caution. But right now, this tall man was a pest and should be dealt quickly before reinforcements arrived.

Lokan pulled the trigger. A glancing shot was all he needed and was extremely pleased to see that the Tau'ri had fallen for it. He would've smiled at the expression on the man's face upon seeing the wrong end of the weapon hovering just mere inches from him. But instead Lokan Todare fished another gun from his belt and aimed it at Jonas Quinn who sat shocked beside an unconscious Dr. Daniel Jackson.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

He was almost half-way to Vinril when everything fell silent and turned to look at the Colonel's direction.

"Don't move," the man curtly said. He fished out another gun and aimed it directly at Jonas. "Slide it towards me," indicating the Zat-gun clutched on his hand.

The Kelownan did as told. A booted foot halted its progress on the floor and but made no move to pick it up.

"Get up," came another rough command.

Jonas did, the gun following him. He eyed the Colonel, biting his lower lip in concern.

"No heroics or they will all die," the man instructed. "Understood?"

Jonas nodded his assent. But Jack had other plans.

"Jonas – "

The barrel hovered threateningly closer between Jack's eyes. "You, too."

Jack immediately fell silent and watched the gun aimed at Jonas as the man thumbed a control switch near the trigger. The weapon emitted an eerie sound and it was getting shriller by the second. He saw a small blinking light went on just above the control switch and then changed colour as the whine of the gun went steadily up. That doesn't sound good.

Five seconds more the light stopped blinking and the whine sounded a lot more like a soft whistle. Jack felt helpless as he saw Jonas' eyes widened in alarm.

"Sweet dreams," the man said, facing Jonas, as he started to pull the trigger.

But he never got the chance as a staff blast hit him squarely at the back. He arched forward before crumbling to the ground dead.

Jack immediately swung his head to see Teal'c standing a few feet away from them. "It's about time you showed up!" Jack cried out, jumping to his feet kicking the guns away from the dead man's hands. "Jonas, you all right?"

The kid was still standing there in a daze, staring at the dead man ten feet away but snapped out of it as soon as he heard Jack calling out to him. He could only nod as his tongue remained glued to the roof of his mouth.

"Where the hell were you?" The Colonel wanted to kiss the Jaffa but fought the urge to as they got more pressing matters at hand.

"I was ambushed as I was approaching the manor, O'Neill." Teal'c explained running towards them. Worry visible on his face as he saw his injured team mates. "What has happened?"

"Ask me again later," Jack quickly ran towards his 2ndIC, examining her wound. He quickly fished out a sterile dressing pack from his tac vest. "I don't think he's from anywhere around here?"

The Jaffa stood beside the corpse, studying it. He lifted dark eyes to his friend. "A head-hunter."

Teal'c's simple assessment turned heads.

"You sure?" Jack asked, serious. His hand automatically reached for his P-90, senses once again alert.

"I am," Teal'c replied.

"Then let's get the hell outta here!" Jack exclaimed, his lean fingers making quick work on the dressing. "There may still be others lurking around. How's Daniel?"

"Stunned," Jonas answered mono-syllabically, busily probing the back of Daniel's head for any injury.

"Head-hunters work alone, O'Neill. They do not wish to share their bounties with another."

"Still, I don't want to stick around to find that out," Jack carried an unconscious Sam in his arms after making sure that her wounded shoulder was snugly wrapped. Having a head-hunter on your tail was bad news and for now, Jack wanted to get back to the SGC more than ever.

When Teal'c made a move to carry the Major, Jack wouldn't relinquish his hold on her. "'S okay. I got her. You take lead, T. Kill whoever or whatever gets in our way."

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

Code Red.

Code Blue.

SG-1's IDC ended with both codes red _and _blue alerts. Walter immediately hailed for med units to the Gate Room all the while summoning every available defence units on Level 28. Hammond stood below, waiting at the sides. His face in a worried frown as his eyes never left the event horizon. The SFs had their guns at the ready for the briefest of the General's orders.

Janet and her subordinates stood huddled to the other side; gurneys, med kits and everything else they could bring from the infirmary were there. All that was missing was the team that brought half of the base personnel rushing into the Gate Room.

And somewhere in the crowd was Ambassador Quinn's aide.

And without warning, they were there. A grim-looking Jack barrelling down the ramp, carrying a limp Sam Carter in his arms. Jonas came next with an unconscious Daniel over his shoulder. And finally Teal'c, who had his staff weapon at the ready and was humming steadily. He only closed it shut after finding his team on safe ground.

"_Shut that damn thing off!" _Jack bellowed after he gently deposited his burden onto one of the gurneys that was wheeled in beside him. Walter immediately complied and the Stargate disengaged from the wormhole.

Gen. Hammond quickly approached. "What happened?"

"We were attacked at Jonas Quinn's residence, Gen. Hammond." Teal'c revealed.

Daniel was placed on the second gurney and immediately wheeled out of sight, following Sam's. Jack rubbed his face in frustration. He could clearly see the turmoil in Dr. Fraiser's face as she tried to stamp down her own personal emotions to be able to perform her role as a medical doctor. He wanted to go after them. Jack hadn't even noticed the Commander's approach. There was just too much on his mind right now.

"Ambassador?"

He immediately turned to see Rhougan Dubois walking towards Jonas who was still standing at the bottom of the ramp, staring at the door where his friends were wheeled out, looking shell-shocked. The Colonel growled menacingly as he stepped between the aide and Jonas. "Get away from him," he quietly said.

The Kelownan oddly looked down at him. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," Jack growled in anger, a tic appearing on his temple. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"

Rhougan's eyes narrowed into slits. "Is that a threat, Colonel?"

"Think of it whatever the hell you like, _Dumbass_," Jack was way past caring. "Just stay the heck away from Jonas."

Teal'c moved closer and stood behind Jack, looking at Rhougan. The two were almost of the same height and Jack felt small beside them. "It is, for the time being, wise to heed O'Neill's advice, Rhougan Dubois."

Rhougan stared at Teal'c and then at Jack. There was something in those cat-like eyes that _really_ made Jack detest the man but he also couldn't ignore the worry that he saw there. Rhougan looked past them and at the young man who seemed oblivious to the argument happening just a foot away from him. The aide finally inclined his head ever so slightly as he retreated but not before giving Jack the look that says that he hadn't heard the last of it and left the Gate Room.

The muscles on Jack's shoulders relaxed as the man disappeared from his sights. He then turned to Hammond. "Sir – "

"Go," his Commander said, sympathetic, "and bring me news. We'll debrief as soon as you are able."

"Thank you, sir." With that out of the way, Jack walked over and stood beside Jonas. "It's a bit stuffy in here, wanna go an' check on them?" he inquired softly.

_Stuffy. When have I ever used the word stuffy? _Jack asked himself in wonder.

Jonas nodded absent-mindedly. He felt the older man's hand cup the back of his neck and give it a comforting squeeze before he let the Colonel lead him out of the room with Teal'c following closely behind.

Jack never really knew when he'd started to care. But as of the moment, he was and that was something the Air Force officer couldn't hide anymore. He'd tried to push the kid away many times but the more he'd tried, the more Jonas Quinn burrowed down deeper into a place in his heart reserved only for those he cared about the most and the kid was quickly becoming a member of his family. Most especially after what Vinril had revealed to him and Sam back on Kelowna. That concern was most evident in the way he felt the need to comfort the kid at that moment, sharing the worry the young man felt for _their_ team mates.

"_Never trust Rhougan Dubois. Jonas Quinn's life _depends_ upon it."_

The hushed warning from Prof. Vinril surfaced unbidden in Jack's mind. The professor had said it to him just before the Colonel had stepped through the 'gate, out of everyone's ear shot. And this had strengthened his resolve to find out just who Rhougan Dubois _really_ was and what his agenda was.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Writing chapter 13 seemed to have fried more brain cells than I initially thought. No wonder it took me almost two weeks to do this next one. And this chapter was easy enough to do but my mind was sluggish. Heck, anyone can do this even in their half-wakened state! I guess you could call this one a filler. No action. Just plain ol' narrative and a little dialogue. And more hint dropping along the way. Getting tired of hints? Don't worry, I am almost at the end. And whatever happened to _that_ Tok'Ra? Hmm…

**Chapter Spoilers: **_Enigma _and_ Meridian_

* * *

**14****  
**

He stepped out of the Stargate and was immediately greeted by the scent and sight of flowers. He quickly turned to see the shimmering watery-blue that was the event horizon slowly contracting in on itself before completely disappearing into thin air.

He frowned. A wormhole doesn't normally behave in this manner. And there was no sound of it disengaging at all. Strange...

He turned around again, the frown becoming deeper as he surveyed the perfect landscape before him. The mildly fragrant scent delighted his senses and he felt quite at peace with his surroundings. He knew that smell but could not quite place it. Was it on some alien planet or was it on Earth? He inhaled deeply and felt a calmness flood his being, something that he had never felt in the years following that terrible day when the Goa'uld had taken the most important person in his life away from him.

He was alone. His companion was nowhere to be found and there were no weapons to defend himself. And to think that he was on an alien planet. Normally, that would make him apprehensive. Normally, there would be others covering his backside whenever he went off world. Normally. But this time was different. He had no reason to be afraid. He knew he was in no immediate danger at all. That he was safe. And that he needed to take this journey alone henceforth.

The sky was a clear blue and a gentle breeze played havoc on his short dark hair, the lapels of his navy blue jacket dancing in the wind. It was hard to determine the time of day but he really didn't care if it was the middle of the day or the dead of night. He slowly descended the platform, all the while taking in the beautiful scenery around him.

He paused upon reaching the grass-covered earth, looking this way and that, trying to decide on which direction he should head off to. The flowers reached up to his thighs and they brushed along his pant legs like a lover's gentle caress. His hand automatically reached up to adjust his glasses, a habit he had come to do whenever he needed the time to think, when he encountered nothing but air in front of his startled eyes.

"_Hello,"_

He started at the sound, looking directly ahead to see a tall, lean man with dark, golden hair fifty feet away, appearing out of nowhere. His fair features lit up in a friendly smile. He had a mild accent akin to that of an Englishman and there was something hauntingly familiar about the smile and the man himself. At closer inspection, the man seemed to be about his age and was wearing casual clothing, fit for an outing at the park. His hands buried deep in his pants pockets. He was leaning on a large rock outcropping but stood up as the new arrival stopped just thirty feet away.

Where'd he come from?

"_Hello…" _he greeted back uncertainly. He face was having trouble on what emotion to put forth as he regarded the man. _"Where did you… I mean, how… you… I was – "_

The man gently laughed as he attempted to put across a hundred questions running through his mind at that moment into one coherent question but failed terribly. He gave up.

"_Forget it," _he said smiling at himself when he suddenly remembered something else. _"Have you seen my companion? She went through the Stargate before I did." _he asked, pointing at the Ancient device behind him.

"_She went that way," _the man answered, jerking a thumb behind him.

"_Oh,"_ was all he could say._ "Where am I?" _he inquired next.

"_You'll find out soon enough," _the man answered. He turned around and began to walk away._ "Come on, we'd best be going. The others are waiting."_

"_Others?"_

The man never broke stride. _"Why, yes. We have been expecting you ever since she announced that there will be another welcomed into the fold. A bit doubtful if you would really cross over or not, though."_

"_The others were doubtful?" _he asked again, having no idea what the other man was talking about.

He finally stopped and turned once again to face him, shrugging._ "No. _I _was doubtful if you would remotely accept Ascension knowing how stubborn humans can be at times."_

That didn't sound good._ "You do?" _he quirked an eyebrow.

The man sighed._ "Yes, well, do not take it the wrong way. But I think you are not yet ready to Ascend. In time, maybe. Please, hear me out first,"_ he said in a placating tone, raising a hand when he saw the other man looking affronted. _"When I said that you are not yet ready, I mean it in the nicest of ways. Based from what I have seen, there are still a lot of things you have left behind that need finishing. A couple more in the future, dare I say. And you cannot do all these once you've Ascended because there are certain rules that we must abide to."_

"_Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I?" _he answered curtly.

"_Yes, there is also that." _The man nodded in agreement._ "If Oma hadn't interfered the way she did, then I guess we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we? And I wouldn't be here to welcome you at all. I do not usually volunteer myself to be the welcoming committee of the Ascended beings, mind. There's a regular guy for that." _He ended, trusting a hand on his hair.

Confusion was clearly written all over his face as he studied the man closely. _"Then why?"_

"_You see," _the man in casual clothing strolled back until they were merely an arm's length away from each other, _"the reason why I came here is because…" _he seemed to hesitate at the last possible moment._ "I would like to ask you a favour…"_

And that was when he saw the man's eyes. And realization dawned on him that instant.

"… _Dr. Jackson."_

He slowly woke up to the sound of voices talking nearby. He wanted to get back into his dream, not wanting to let go of it that easily. It felt like if he did, something vitally important would slip right through his fingers and he knew he cannot afford to let that happen.

_Now, why would that be? _A voice in his still groggy mind asked him.

Daniel ignored it, wanting to get back to sleep. Wishing for the voices and all of them to be gone, leave him be.

"I thought he was just stunned?" a very familiar voice demanded. Even in his half-awakened state, Daniel could easily identify that voice anywhere. "It's been over thirty hours and he still hasn't woken up yet."

"We have no idea how much energy his body has been exposed to, Colonel." A female voice calmly explained. "Daniel may well have been given enough to knock out a bear for all we know."

_Yes, _Daniel thought, burying the side of his face deeper unto the soft pillow. _Make him go away._

He tried to tune out their voices as he once again concentrated on recapturing his dream. What was it again? A planet. The wormhole disengaging silently. Flowers. Scent. A man walking towards him. He was saying something, asking something. What was it?

_What was it?_

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

A chilly night breeze accompanied the Jaffa as he entered the tent. Every occupant inside looked up at the new arrival who was searching the sea of faces, nodding every now and then to some of them, for someone.

"Yarek,"

The former First Prime swung his head to the side and saw the Tok'Ra Malek sitting on the ground with a group of Jaffa who seemed to be conversing with him. The prisoners knew that Malek was Tok'Ra and they had kept that information from their captors. Even those who continued believing he was not Tok'Ra but a Goa'uld spy for the new conqueror of this planet had also kept their silence, acknowledging Yarek's leadership.

But the golden-haired man was not Malek. There was a different aura about him. For one thing, this man was sporting an easy smile and his eyes looked livelier than the Jaffa saw last. Gone were the harsh lines on his noble face. His posture was not rigid and stiff, but more relaxed and laid back. And he seemed approachable. No, this was not Malek at all.

Yarek nodded once before approaching the group. He immediately noticed young Nee'chos sitting closely beside the slender man and smiled inwardly to himself.

Nee'chos was one of the youngest Jaffa in the camp, only in his twenty-third year. He had an older brother who had joined the Rebellion, moved by the words of Master Bratac when he and a small contingent of his followers had laid siege on one of Merenptah's outpost where the young man was, urging them to leave the service of their false god and help them free their brethren from enslavement.

His brother had risked his life trying to convince Nee'chos to come and join them as a Free Jaffa. The young-one highly admired his brother so much that he readily agreed to go with him. But they were found out and both were shipped into separate mining camps. It had been almost two years since they had seen each other last.

Nee'chos never left Yarek's side ever since the latter had arrived there a few months ago after a mission gone bad. But it would now seem that the young Jaffa's loyalties were now divided between him and this man ever since that fateful day where the Tok'Ra could've just turned his back on them and leave. Yarek did not mind, in fact he was pleased that Nee'chos had found another individual worthy of his admiration.

"Leave us," Yarek told the group who quickly stood up, leaving the Tok'Ra agent alone, except for Nee'chos who was looking up at their leader attentively. "You, too, Nee'chos."

Nee'chos did as he was told, but not before giving the older man a look of displeasure at being dismissed off-handedly. He sat with another group of Jaffa conversing lightly just a few feet away.

"He seemed to have grown quite fond of you, Danem." Yarek teased as he settled himself on the ground.

"I have no idea if he's attached himself to me or to my symbiote," Malek's host said, chuckling softly. His voice was soft and gentle compared to Malek's deeper and more authoritative one.

"I think to the both of you." The Jaffa stated matter-of-factly. "Malek?"

"Asleep," Danem answered. "Another tent destroyed?"

Yarek nodded. "Yes. Luckily, it was not one of ours. It erupted close to the weapons storage tent thereby damaging it." He saw the Tok'Ra's eyes widen significantly at the news. "No, we were unable to get hold of any functioning weapons and neither did we find your communications device."

"They may have placed it somewhere else," Danem said, thoughtfully. The communications device had been a gift from a technologically advanced people called Tollans. They had shared this device and a few others with the Tok'Ra because they perceived them as equals. Although over the years, their scientists had successfully created a smaller and more compact version of it for easy concealment.

But unlike the Tollans' theirs was only capable of sending out very short messages. Scaling it down to half its original size had been a problem since the large bulk of the device had been allocated for the device's vast memory storage. He and Malek had been given one prior to this mission and it already had a prearranged message in it in case of emergency. After they were captured, the communications device was the first thing that was taken from them.

He shifted the conversation onto their present dilemma. "These occurrences are becoming more and more frequent."

"Indeed," the Jaffa nodded grimly. "And the others are beginning to worry. Even the guards. Ground movement before such on eruption takes place has also never been this bad in the past."

"This place seems to be becoming more and more unstable," the agent thought out loud.

"You think it has something to do with the mines?"

The Tok'Ra shrugged. "It maybe one of the factors but I have to agree with Malek that it is not the cause of all these." He sighed heavily. "If only I still had the device with me."

"We are working on finding out the gate address of this planet," Yarek said.

"Yes, I know," Danem acknowledged with a tight smile. "But even if you do acquire the data, it would still be useless if we do not have the means to send it." He then noticed that the Jaffa was not listening anymore. "What's wrong?"

"Nee'chos is gone."

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

Two more Jaffa volunteered to help them search for Nee'chos. The guards posted around the mines ignored them as the four set off in different directions.

Danem was thankful that Malek was resting. He was not in the mood to argue with his symbiote. But Malek had also had a rough day between protecting him from the dangerous fumes down the mines, the chilly winter clime up on the surface and mending his broken wrist trying to soften his fall when he tripped over a piece of equipment that was strangely left in the middle of the path he was taking.

He had entered every tent on the area to check if Nee'chos was in one of them. No one had seen the young Jaffa that night. Where could he have gone?

After thanking the occupants of the fifth tent Danem pulled back the flap to depart. A strong wind welcomed him outside and Danem quickly hugged the thick fur coat around his person, trembling a bit as the biting air came into contact with bare skin. There were four more tents nearby and as he contemplated on which of them he would inquire to next, he heard someone calling out his name in a low voice.

Frowning, he turned. Nee'chos was walking hurriedly towards him. "Where have you been? Yarek's been looking for you."

"There is something I wish for you to see," Nee'chos excitedly told him, seemingly pleased with himself about something.

"Later," Danem said, gripping the collar of the coat around his throat, "we must get back to the tent – "

"It cannot wait," the young Jaffa shook his head impatiently as he fished something out from a side pocket and showed it to him.

An astounded Danem stared wide-eyed at Nee'chos' open hand. Resting on it was the one thing that stood between life and death.

The missing Tok'Ra communications device.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Finally! I got this darn chapter finished! Pff! Pff! I do apologize for the last chapter. It was sluggishly made but I do intend to make up for it. Sorry for the derailment and the confusion 14 made to you guys but it was there for a reason. I guess the guys deserve a little R&R after that little incident on Kelowna. And it's about time the team and Jonas get to sit down and have a bonding moment with each other. As I've said before, I have a little problem with dialogues and not very good at technobabble at all so please bear with me. And also I have been under the weather these three weeks past and I do apologize for taking a long while in posting a new chapter. I hope you all like it.**

**One thing more, this chapter was originally an O'Malley's scene but as the story progressed, I find that the gang's regular nocturnal hang out's not the proper place to discuss certain issues that will be tackled in the duration of 15. So I decided on using the next best place where the gang can just sit around and chat without worry at all. Although there aren't any huge servings of steaks on the menu, there are plenty of Jell-Os to pass around. My apologies to both**_** matute**_** and **_**resurgamlaura**_**. Here goes nothing…**

**Oh, yeah, and the **_**Enosh**_** is more than you think. So do not let it deceive you. :)**

**Chapter Spoiler: **Deadman's Switch

* * *

**15**

A civilian clothed Jack O'Neill lazily stretched his entire six-foot-two-inch frame against the stiff-backed chair before once again slumping onto it. He rested both hands on top of the table in front of him, drumming his lean fingers absentmindedly as he surveyed the area around them with a relaxed eye looking, for all the world, like a bored man who wasn't paying attention on the conversation going on in earnest at their table located at the farthest corner of the room.

But he was. Only that he chose not to be showy about it.

It was close to six p.m. and there were only a handful of people around the base commissary besides him and his team and none were sitting anywhere near them, well out of earshot. Most of the dayshift personnel had already left for their respective homes or at hangouts with friends. Jack would've wanted the same for his team, after that little incident over at Kelowna several days ago, figuring that they all certainly deserved a little break. And that usually meant a trip to O'Malley's for dinner, something they hadn't done in quite a while. But a certain female doctor prevented them from doing so. And she always gets in the way of their fun.

And so Colonel Jack O'Neill contented himself on hustling everyone's butts into the commissary instead and have dinner together much to the disgruntlement of two of his teammates. The same teammates that the Doc had strictly advised to go straight home after finishing their individual shifts and the very same ones that Jack had to pick-up and drive home for the next few days to make sure they didn't go against the Doc's wishes or suffer the consequences. No side trips, not even a trip to their favorite joint, was allowed for a few days. Something about her patients' well-being but Jack couldn't see any harm on that. They weren't thinking of doing any strenuous activities once they got there.

He finally turned to study his team idly. To his immediate left sat Daniel Jackson, also dressed in his casuals with a stack of blue folders he wanted to take home with him on one side and a tray of food in front of him, currently engaged in deep conversation with the others. On top of the file lay a hardbound book entitled _"A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Gods"_ for light reading, he said. But the thousands pages book doesn't look anywhere near light to Jack's point of view.

The anthropologist doesn't seem to be suffering from any side effects received from the stun blast but that did not stop Janet from keeping him at the infirmary for a good two days, much to Daniel's annoyance. Precious time had been lost when he should have been using it to decipher the '806 inscription stele. But there seemed to be no language in the universe that would make the woman understand the importance of his work.

After learning that Sam and her techs began their computer upgrades yesterday, disgruntled team mate number one was beside himself. Daniel could be heard muttering dozens of times to himself whenever he remembered that all Gate activities had been cancelled for the time being. He had been waiting word from both SGs-11 and -23 dispatched at two of the Gate addresses with regards to '806 wanting to know if they had found something of value because as far as translating goes Daniel hadn't been able to crack the writings on the inscriptions stele at all.

His mood reached an all-time low when he heard that Sam had also scheduled Gate diagnostics for tomorrow and that usually lasts an entire day. He had already lost two days' worth of research staying at the infirmary doing nothing, another two days since yesterday and the prospect of further losing a few more was making the anthropologist a bit grouchy these days.

Next his brown eyes jumped over at Teal'c sitting at the head of the table, the contents of his tray was fast disappearing as the Jaffa continued his relentless assault on it while Daniel asked him about the goings on at the Alpha Site. Another batch of recently freed Jaffa had been brought over by Rak'nor a few days ago, once again, freed by their mysterious Ashrak.

Sam sat next to Teal'c, her right arm in a custom-made black leather sling. Like Daniel, she also suffered no ill-effects from the attack although she was out of it for a good twenty-four hours. Janet had kept her at the infirmary another day more and sternly ordered her to lay off the arm until told otherwise - which translated to limiting her tinkering with her numerous gadgets for a while. And that did not make Sam Carter a happy camper.

Deprived of her usual pursuits whenever they weren't off world, Sam was also on the brink of exploding herself. But the scheduled installation of new programs into the base's main frame computers took her mind off her present predicament. The major had no intention of leaving the control room upon realizing that her shift had just ended and was of a mind to stay for at least another two hours but Jack had another plan in mind. He had almost commanded her to get her butt the hell of out there, change into civvies and go meet them at the commissary for something to eat before taking her and Daniel home. Jack thought that she was never one to pout not until he saw it with his own eyes, and could only shake his head in amusement.

And that would be disgruntled team mate number two.

The sling, he noticed, blended perfectly with his 2IC's black motorbike jacket draped over a plain white cotton shirt looking stylishly… stylish. A classic biker chick look. She was munching on a small piece of lamb chop, her head bent together with the dark-haired man sitting on her other side all the while participating in the discussion Daniel had begun as soon as they started eating. She, by now, had completely forgotten her earlier animosity towards her CO.

The colonel turned at last to scrutinize the fifth person in their group. Ambassador Jonas Quinn was sitting across from Jack, his half-eaten tray of food laid forgotten as he paid close attention on what Sam was saying, his brows furrowed in concentration. Curious, Jack craned his neck to see better.

Although, technically, Jonas was no longer part of the team, the Kelownan was and would always be a member of SG-1 regardless of what other people might think. And the kid certainly deserved the recognition and the respect that goes along with it. Jack was stubborn but he was not that dense.

It was the MP3 player that Sam had given Jonas this morning as her welcome back present to the kid. It took a while for her to find the perfect gift and as Jack watched, mesmerized, Sam held the small device in her restrained hand while pointing out with the other some basic instructions to Jonas on how to operate it. Sam said something that made the kid grin.

After receiving a call from Jack a while ago, Jonas was most eager to meet up with them at the commissary and was the first one to arrive. He noticed Sam's glum look, who kept on throwing dagger looks at her CO, and learned the reason behind it so he promised to monitor the progress at the control room for her since he wasn't going anywhere. The kid was spreading himself too thin, simply too enthusiastic for his own good, what with the ambassador stuff and assisting duties he was juggling between Daniel and Sam and Jack could not help reminding him that humans need to sleep, too.

This was their very first meal together after his two team members were released from the infirmary and Jack had impressed upon them to not talk about work – just for once. His team seemed willing to grant him that and it started out innocently enough with Daniel asking how Sam was and what Janet had thought of the whole business about wounding her and only stunning Daniel.

"See, here's the thing," Daniel began after some thorough thinking, his spoon making motions in the air, "the headhunter could've just stunned you the same way he did with me. Or just shot me the same way he did with you. He had the element of surprise working against us. Not to mention the bounties on our heads if that is what he's after."

"It is possible that the hunter had no intention of capturing all of us," Teal'c quietly stated matter-of-factly. All heads, including Jack, turned to look at the Jaffa quizzically.

"Hey," Jack butted in, spoon halfway to his mouth halted in mid-air. "I thought we all agreed to _not_ talk about work, remember?"

"In a minute, Jack," Daniel impatiently dismissed him with a wave of a hand much to his friend's chagrin. "Teal'c, are you saying that he's only after one of us?"

Teal'c regarded Daniel in that enigmatic way of his. "I believe he was after two individuals,"

"Me?" Daniel squeaked, a startled frown spreading on his handsome face. He shifted uneasily in his seat. "Er, Teal'c, we don't have any proof to substantiate your assumption that he was indeed after me."

Jack rolled his eyes. All thoughts of stopping the current thread of conversation evaporated that instant. "The guy _stunned_you instead of killing you. Isn't that proof enough?"

"But that's just it, sir," Sam spoke up. "Remember what Aris Bock said, about the Goa'uld wanting Daniel dead because he figured out the Stargate?"

"Oh, thank you for pointing that out, Sam." Daniel commented humorlessly. It was evident to everyone that Daniel wanted to forget that part of his life.

"More than a day's rations' worth." This time, the anthropologist whipped his head around, bristling with anger as he glared at Jack who quickly added, "I was just quoting the guy!"

"So who's the other "lucky" guy?" Daniel asked gruffly, turning back to Teal'c. The big guy was staring at Jonas the same way he did with Daniel a short while ago.

"His appearance at Kelowna was a dead giveaway," Jonas said in a quiet voice, pursing his lips together grimly. "Also he could've just shot the colonel and I when he got both of us cornered in the hallway but he didn't."

"It's got snakehead fingerprints all over this one," Jack said, indicating the sudden appearance of the headhunter in the most unlikely place in the galaxy. These dregs of the galaxy go hand-in-hand with Goa'uld System Lords to do the dirty work for them.

"What could they possibly want this time?" Sam wondered, a bit angry at the thought of Jonas on the run from the headhunters. It did not sit well with her, and with everyone else at the table, that their friend would've been easy prey if he hadn't returned to the SGC before this.

"Nirrti's the only one that comes to mind, Sam. But we all know that she's already dead." Jonas sighed heavily. He had been going over this for several days now, recalling System Lords he'd crossed paths with in the last two years and what could they possibly want with him, but came up with nothing. "That's one thing I want answered, though. At least, you guys know why they're after you." Jonas ended, nodding at Daniel's direction.

"But that doesn't make me feel any better," replied Daniel, a pained expression on his face. He's had enough trouble as it was and to be hunted down again just really topped his Top 10 Things NOT To Do When You Are Off World list.

"But why only now?" Sam reflected. "It's been ages since the last time we met one and that guy didn't even got the chance to draw out his weapon. I don't think we ever really left the Ten Most Wanted By The Goa'uld list but it does make one think."

The matter was immediately dropped, seeing how it made everyone uncomfortable (except for Teal'c) and instead turned their conversation into the lighter side of things. Finishing their dinner, Teal'c stood up to get everyone desserts. Sam's tray had been cleared away a few minutes ago by one of the SFs who "happened" to be passing by and came back bearing a tray of blueberry Jell-Os and a huge slice of chocolate cake for her much to Sam's delight and Jack's utter annoyance.

But for some unknown reason, it picked up again. This time their conversation veered on Jonas' weather satellite.

"You mean that Prof. Vinril had _actually_ designed a naquadria-powered propulsions system for the satellite?" Disbelief evident on Daniel's voice after Sam, with a little help from Jack, had disclosed to the others what Vinril had told them. "That would be a momentous event in your people's history. No wonder everyone wanted to get a hold of it."

"I'm sorry if I haven't told you earlier, but I was really meaning to. I was just waiting for a more positive result before I present anything to the Command." Jonas said to the bespectacled man. "They are still in the process of building the system, Daniel. The professor told me so en route to the manor so we still have no idea yet if it would actually function the way it's supposed to be, let alone run, before it blows itself into smithereens seeing how unstable naquadria is."

"But think of the countless possibilities you could open if it does work," said Sam excitedly. "I mean, you don't have to look for another viable energy source to run the system, for one thing, and the satellite would never run out of fuel. Who knows, maybe someday, it would become applicable to other systems. Maybe even power way more massive designs such as a spaceship."

Daniel agreed. "And that's why somebody badly wanted to get a copy of it for personal gain."

"Then why come back to the manor when they already got what they came for?" thought Jack aloud.

"Well, it's pretty obvious," Daniel adjusted his eyeglasses, "the men we encountered weren't the same ones who broke into the house first time 'round."

Sam leaned over the table to look at her friend, careful not to hit her wounded arm on the edge of the table. A look of concern on her face. "You mean there could be more than one group that's after the_Enosh_?"

"And could somebody _please_ care to enlighten me what is the meaning of the word? I have been quite patient here." He demanded, raising an index finger. This was the third time he had inquired about it and was expecting to be answered now or heads would roll.

"It's a Hebrew name," Daniel answered in that exasperated tone that he only reserved for Jack. "There are a lot of variations to its meaning but the most commonly known is "he who is human". According to Biblical history, Enosh is the son of Seth and grandson of Adam and Eve of the Genesis. He supposedly to have lived for nine hundred and five years and was actually the very first character in the Bible to be called a human. And so the name simply means "human". Thus, the Hebrew word for humanity is _Enoshut_ which means "those that which stem from Enosh"." He ended the explanation with a "happy now?" look at Jack.

"Oh," was all the military man could say. He turned to face Jonas who was smiling meekly. "Nice name. Enosh. Good choice. Nine hundred and five years old." He remembered the discussion they had at the Gate room a few days ago and had to admit that he had definitely made a fool of himself out there. This did not sit well with him at all.

Teal'c eyed his friend and commanding officer. "Their neighboring countries had always been at war with Kelowna," he said, bringing the conversation back on track, the container he was holding a short while ago was now sitting empty on his tray. "It is possible that they also wanted to create their own satellite. Much like your very own space race that you have been telling me about, Major Carter."

"Does seem like it," Sam said in agreement. "But what good would it do if the Kelownan government had already disclosed the project to the public?"

"What if whoever got Jonas' copy wanted it for an entirely different purpose…" Daniel's voice trailed off as he looked at the far-off wall, his mind churning. "How many are there currently working on the project?"

"Around forty last time I checked," the Kelownan answered.

"Did anyone left at that time? Was there any disagreements with or between any one of them?"

Jonas shook his head in all of Daniel's questions. Jack's eyes narrowed greatly. "Smells like an inside job to me."

"You think any one of them could be responsible for the break-in at the manor?" he asked, easily catching up on what Daniel had in mind. Jonas again shook his head in disbelief to think that Daniel was even considering this line of thought. "The project staff did not know that I had a copy of the satellite blueprints, Daniel. Almost all of them had been under the professor's tutelage one time or another and I've known and worked with some of them for years. I trust these people. Prof. Vinril and I can vouch for all of them."

"It is not a matter of you trusting them that is the question, Jonas Quinn," Teal' c finally spoke. "Rather, if they are worthy of your trust?"

"These are hard working people, Teal'c." Jonas looked askance at the Jaffa down the table. "That ought to count for something."

"Which, unfortunately, doesn't." Jack said sarcastically. He leaned forward to look at Jonas whose right brow rose inquiringly. "You said so yourself that no one knew you had a copy of the blueprints," Jack explained.

"And that greatly narrows down our list of likely suspects from several hundred down to roughly about forty people." Sam added. "Is there anyone, besides Vinril, who do know you had a duplicate in your possession?"

"It's not exactly a duplicate," Jonas clarified, "it's a rough sketch of the original blueprints that the professor has. And truthfully, anyone looking at it would surely be baffled once they try to decipher the professor's handwriting." Jonas grunted. "Anyway, no one knew except for Dreylock and Rhougan." He stopped once he noticed that the others were exchanging knowing looks. "Now, you think it's one of them? You think it's Rhougan, don't you?" he looked around at the others. This was getting way out of hand and could not help being a bit defensive.

Jack shrugged carelessly. "As I understand correctly, the guy's been living with your family ever since." For him it was explanation enough as far as he was concerned. The unvoiced accusation hung heavy in the air.

Daniel sensed Jonas's mood and quickly tried to reason with the Kelownan. "We are only trying to consider all possibilities here, Jonas, nothing more." And he was also trying to prevent any form of argument to develop between Jack and Jonas.

The kid shook his head. "It can't be Rhougan," Jonas said with conviction. His green eyes pointedly looking at each one of them, finally resting his eyes on Jack. "I cannot deny that he and I had some differences in the past but I know Rhougan better than any one of you and I know that he will never do such a thing that you accuse him of."

Jack finally had had enough of the kid's denial. "And why is that?" he challenged.

"Because Rhougan cannot open that safe, even if he wanted to," the Kelownan simply said. "He doesn't know where it is."

"I thought he was with you when…" Sam's voice trailed off. Her face a mixture of doubt and confusion.

He glanced at her sideways, combing his hair with a hand. "He only knows where the safe is but doesn't exactly know where _it is_ or its combination. Before that headhunter appeared, I said Rhougan was with me when I decided to hide it in Dad's safe but he wasn't with me _inside_ the room and it was he who opted to stay outside of it while I put the plans into the safe."

"How can you be so sure of that?" asked Jack skeptically.

"The mere fact that I trust the guy and he had been my guardian since Dad died is enough. I know you don't like him and would love to find fault in him and sometimes he gets on my nerves but I know Rhougan wouldn't do anything you are accusing him of."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Rhougan Dubois, personal aide to the Langaran ambassador to Earth Jonas Quinn, had finally turned off the lights inside the office. He took one final sweep of the room before fishing out his security keycard from his 0pockets and swiped it into the slot on the wall by the open door. He did not move as the thick steel door slid silently closed before letting his eyes rest on the machine once again, waiting for the small light to turn from green to red. Satisfied that the room was completely shut, the Kelownan turned to leave, his soft-soled shoes making no noise in the empty hallway.

Jonas had left two hours ago after informing him that he will be meeting SG-1 down the commissary for dinner and asked if he could "close shop" for him. The aide did not approve of his choice of words and was of a mind to remind the young man that he was a person of high political standing and should watch what he says all the time. The ambassador could not hide his delight at being with his so-called friends again after Major Carter and Dr. Jackson were released from their medical facility.

He alighted from the elevator and stepped into the hallway of the base's VIP section. He slightly inclined his head towards one of the sentries standing by one of the corridors before heading on his way and did not wait to see if he was even noticed by the uniformed man. As soon as he reached his private quarters, Rhougan deftly turned the lock on the door before putting down the armful of papers he was carrying into one of the cushioned chairs nearest him.

He knew that Jonas was at the control room down Level 28 this very moment and advised him of it an hour later. Something about monitoring the progress of "something important" he says and would be there for a while longer. Even if he wanted to protest, Rhougan knew enough that Jonas could be stubborn when he wanted to be and more so now that he cannot closely monitor his charge the way he did back on Kelowna.

He was being watched by the others. He knew that from day one. He had to be careful of his movements so as not to attract further attention. Someone might suspect something was afoot and that would surely complicate matters not to his liking at all. That incident where Major Carter had appeared while he and Jonas were in the middle of a disagreement caught him totally off-guard. But still, that did not stop him from u0ttering the words he knew Jonas needed to be reminded of from time to time.

_Sonu ahwu ne er wun fidelo._

And his encounter with Colonel O'Neill at the Gate room was another thing. He remembered staring down at the man, brown eyes dilated in anger. At first, Rhougan could not understand why the man was furious and why two of them were injured after returning from Kelowna with the ambassador looking so pallid and shocked. He was a good judge of character and what he saw from the Earthling's eyes startled him. It spoke volumes and their meaning was clear: protect Jonas from _him_.

Rhougan would've laughed. The idea was preposterous at best. But the aide cannot deny that he and the colonel had the same urge to protect Jonas. From one another. And the young man in question seemed to have no idea that the tension between them was being caused by him.

With his burden out of the way, the aide turned to look at the Queen-sized bed. There really was nothing special with it but he continued looking at it nonetheless, lost in thought. Then as if finally coming to a decision, he stepped towards the foot of the bed, kneeling on one of its sides. He then flipped the edge of the comforter, blanket and the bed sheet underneath it in one single motion to reveal a white plastic button-like thing of about two centimeters in diameter covering the small opening on this side of the bed.

This he carefully pried open and a smooth, polished thing peeked out to him instead of the foam inside. Rhougan drew it out easily with his thumb and index finger. It was a cylindrical metal container of about 10 inches long and about as thick as his thumb. Without giving the ruffled bed a second glance, the Kelownan straightened and went to the study table on the far side of the room, unscrewing the top as he did so.

Acquiring it had proved quite difficult and he needed the help of another. But he finally managed to get hold of it and just in time. He had kept it safe all this time without anyone knowing that he had it in his care.

Rhougan opened the lamp by the polished table and tipped the mouth of the cylinder on his open palm, realizing that he had been holding his breath for quite a while. A couple of somewhat crumpled rolls of parchment fell out of the opening and this he reverently pulled out. The metal cylinder and cap was quickly forgotten as he laid out the parchments one by one onto the table surface studying each of them carefully.

The diagrams on it were botchy on some parts and there were erasures and scribbles all over them. These he studied most carefully, although, he wasn't much of a techno buff like the ambassador but he knew how important this was and knew that many would like to get their hands on them no matter the price.

It was then he noticed a small handwritten note on the bottom right of the last parchment (there were five of them). He stooped over it, wrinkling his eyes. It read:

_For your perseverance and determination. You most certainly deserve to have this._

_This is your dream and I am glad that you have shared it with me._

_And for that, I will forever be grateful._

_A. Vinril_

Rhougan Dubois, personal aide to the Langaran ambassador to Earth Jonas Quinn, once again returned his sights on the first parchment. His cat-like eyes were irrevocably drawn up the top to once again read the heading.

_The "ENOSH"_

_(weather satellite schematics)_

- - - o 0 o - - -

Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman, chief Gate operator, took a moment to lift his eyeglasses to rub at his eye. His right was busily reaching for his third cup of decaf that one of his techs had laid a safe distance away from the Gate dialing console and took a cautious sip.

Tonight was going to be another very busy night for the techs. Both shifts were working together to upgrade the base's mainframe for a handful of new programs. They had been at it for two days straight now and all Gate activities had been cancelled for the time being. It was hard work as they have to check everything that would be overwritten or replaced, making sure that they had backups of everything from the sprinkler system to the Gate system. In case something goes wrong. And that was one thing Walter had no desire to happen on his shift.

Maj. Carter was escorted home eight hours ago much to her chagrin. She wanted to stay a few hours more but Col. O'Neill was a hair away from making his request into a command and the major was wise enough to heed him, albeit, with something akin to a pout on her elfin features as she brushed past him.

Ambassador Quinn stayed long enough to monitor the last of the upgrades before he finally decided to take a few hours of sleep after his empty mug of tea fell from his lax hand. It rolled onto the floor and into everyone's way. He left just over an hour ago, ten minutes after rebooting their main frame computers to initialize a full system's check, apologizing and blushing profusely in embarrassment which elicited understanding smiles from the techs. He promised to return for the Gate diagnostics scheduled a few hours from now.

Sgt. Rourke was there beside him, huddling over his own cup of decaf silently observing the monitor as it scrolled out data in front of him, a haggard look on his face. He sat at one of the operations computers along with three others, occupying the seat the Kelownan had vacated, flanking Walter on both sides and also sporting the same weary expression on their faces. Walter knew that he didn't look good himself either. Oh, what he would have given for a hot shower!

"How long do you think he'll last?"

Walter snapped out of his meditative state to look at the red-haired young man sitting at the end of the main console to his right. The other three also did the same. The kid had been newly assigned to Stargate Command straight out of booth camp because the higher-ups thought that his Einstein-ish intelligence (which he boastfully claimed to everyone willing to listen) would be a huge asset to the Command. But so far he had done nothing noteworthy and the chief of Gate operators was far from being impressed.

"Who?" Rourke asked.

"Quinn," he answered in that ingratiating voice of his. He remembered someone very much like him. Self-pretentious and conceited to the core. Except that that Canadian had the intelligence to back up his overbearing ego.

Walter frowned. "You mean _Ambassador_Quinn, airman?" What was this brat's name?

The kid shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, look at those who came before him. No one from his planet lasted more than a month at the SGC. And he's here what? A month and a half now?"

"Your point being?" asked Sgt. Herrera, irritation leaking through every word. It surprised Walter since she had never used that tone of voice on anyone before.

"You know," Winston – yes, that was the brat's name – began to say, "that he's being tolerated because we feel indebted to the guy for bring us the naquadria, although, it never really worked to create a hyperspace window. So it is good as junk. And that he used to be with the flagship team as a replacement for Dr. Jackson which he killed, by the way, in order to get hold of the scientist's position."

Walter's brows rose threateningly close to his hairline as he ogled at the insufferable kid, his mouth opening a few centimeters apart in bewilderment.

When no one answered Winston thought that they were all agreeing to what he was saying, continued on. "From what I've gathered, Jonas Quinn really isn't well-liked by the people around here. Especially by Col. O'Neill."

If he chose to look up at that exact moment, he'd see four pairs of eyes looking at him with growing disdain which was quickly turning into complete loathing. It so happened that the four techs at the main console with him had come to know the man in question. Walter has had enough of this nonsense. He and the ambassador hadn't really been close but he had come to respect the young Kelownan throughout his entire tenure at SGC. This was one mistake he simply could not let pass.

"How long have you been here, _airman basic_?" Walter asked flatly, not taking his eyes away from the red-headed kid.

"Three months, sir."

"And you think that three months' stay here is enough for you to know everything there is to know about the goings on at Stargate Command, Win_slow_?" he grinded out the last syllable with derision.

Winston looked taken aback but only for a moment. "I was merely stating a fact – "

"Well, you heard wrong," Walter rudely interrupted. He cared not of whoever thought that this kid would be the next Einstein or Hawkins. He wasn't going to let some wet-behind-the-ears kid, who doesn't know one whit to what he was talking about, mar the name of one of the members of the Command who had made astounding contributions to the continuity of Stargate Command itself. He was of a mind to recommend on sending this kid packing to wherever he came from. But then again maybe the education of Lt. Win_slow_ should really start right here and what better way than to send him straight to Hammond for a good wash down.

"Now if you continue this line of thought, I suggest you take it with General Hammond so he could _enlighten_you with – "

The Gate klaxon automatically rang to life as the Stargate's seven chevrons began to light up one by one in a clockwise direction.

"Unscheduled off world activation!" cried Walter as everyone scrambled to their stations. "Closing iris!"

The audible mechanical whine of the opening wormhole rang into the stillness as it connected with the Ancient device. Pale blue light bounced across the huge Gate room casting an eerie play of light and shadow all over the place and through the connecting control room. Walter was about to call for defense units when Rourke cried that they were receiving a radio transmission, text only.

As soon as they received the entirety of the message, the wormhole immediately disengaged from the Stargate. Walter wasn't paying any attention to the two-story device anymore as he and Rourke read the contents of the message.

It was concise and straight to the point and both immediately knew where the transmission had come from.

_Ambassador Jonas Quinn,_

_You are hereby informed, at the behest of Langara's Joint Ruling Council, to appear before them tomorrow at high noon regarding the progress of the _Enosh_ Project._

_As head of the project, it is your obligation to supply the Council information needed to continue its funding. Inability to do so would automatically forfeit all grants._

_Office of the Secretariat_

_Joint Ruling Council_

* * *

_Okay, I admit I was being a bit melodramatic with the last scene but that is how I perceived everyone at the base who hadn't really known Jonas. So okay, go ahead, crucify me._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Time to get back on track. Again, I would like to thank everyone: to both old and new, to those who read and reviewed. I shan't be mentioning any names because you already know who you guys are. For the patience and the continued moral support, thank you. You guys are the best. **

**O/T: And also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who took a chance on reading _Destinations_. I know I utterly failed in trying to make the story a romantic one (my first attempt at it, too!) and it was intended to end that way.**

**kegalo **– means _silence _in Goa'uld. At least, that's what I think it means on **"Stargate" **the movie (1996).

**stulta – **means _foolishness_. Derived from the Latin word _stultitia._ Just made that word up in case you wanna know.

* * *

"_Gibberish it maybe at the moment, but it may prove quite valuable in the future."_

_- (as yet unnamed) Goa'uld System Lord, _Heir

**

* * *

**

**16**

Since he was a kid Jonathan O'Neill, or Jack as everyone called him, had always considered himself to be an early riser. The light sleeper part came after he entered the Air Force but that's beside the point. He knew he was rarely late but the people at the base never slept properly so they checked themselves in at ungodly hours of the day making him look tardy. Take his team, for example.

Sam usually does the checking-in at ungodly hours of the day and Daniel, well, he usually never leaves the base most of the time. Teal'c was an exemption, even Jonas when he was still with them, because they were both staying at SGC. Still, that didn't help improve his image.

But today, Jack was indeed running late.

He ruffled his hair irritably as he caught sight of the digital clock on the dashboard. He then pushed his dark aviator glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose, chanced a look at his watch for a second opinion and winced. He just had a beer after an early dinner with his team that includes Jonas last night and watched television for only about an hour before deciding to call it a day. When he woke up, he only had enough time to spare for a quick shower, grab whatever clothing he could before heading out into the garage only to dash back inside to retrieve his car keys from the kitchen counter. He usually had a cup of coffee before hitting the road but figured that he could probably help himself with Daniel's personal pot over at the man's office as soon as he arrived.

He took a left turn and within a few minutes found himself on an isolated road that led straight to Cheyenne Mountain. It was still a thirty-minute drive from the main road and there was pretty much nothing to see and pushed a little more speed out of his truck which the vehicle complied with ease. The Air Force Colonel remembered the small package he had, on a whim, bought last night and blindingly groped for the opening of the glove compartment and swore under his breath when his fingers slipped and out spilled most of its contents. Some fell on the passenger seat beside him and the rest slid further underneath.

He saw the thing that he was looking for lying on the floor, partially covered by stuff Jack had no idea he still had stashed in there. He wanted to dive down to retrieve it, to check if it had been broken during its tumble down the car floor.

Cautious as always, he looked at the road again then eyed his rear view mirror. There was no one at his twelve and six so it was basically safe to just make a grab for it and he did so without easing his foot off the gas pedal. But Jack O'Neill had been quite mistaken of his assumption that the immediate area around him was empty as an unmarked vehicle slipped out of its hiding place and stopped right in the middle of the road a few yards ahead of Jack's truck.

A screech of tires pierced the sleepy silence and nothing more.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"_Major Samantha Carter to the Control Room… Major Carter to the Control Room."_

Walter switched the PA System's mic off as soon as he finished broadcasting throughout the base. Wherever the Major was she would definitely hear the summons, except if she's at one of the base's sub-sublevels which he hoped she wasn't at the moment, and would soon be there in no time.

They had started gate diagnostics late than usual owing to the fact that the Ancient device was used thrice that morning. First ones through were Ambassador Quinn's party as he returned to Kelowna with his aide. With them were Teal'c and SG-3.

Although the idea of letting Jonas return back there was not a good one, they couldn't prevent him from going. Hammond wanted to inform the Colonel of what was going on but they were unable to contact him at home or on his mobile. Finally they decided on providing an escort much to the protest of the young man to keep an eye out for any kind of danger – discreetly that is, under the guise of being sent there by the US government to meet with Bill Donovan, the Earth Ambassador to Langara – in case the bad guys tries to have another go at getting their hands on the Ambassador.

The second was when Dr. Jackson, who opted to stay at the base to try and get another shot at the enigmatic inscription that had plagued him since its discovery, was allowed to contact the two teams currently assigned to the P3Y-806 project and was in luck when SG-11 reported on finding something of import. The young man was more than eager to get there himself and had run up to General Hammond for clearance with Major Carter hot on his heels. That also took a while before the Base Commander finally agreed on letting the anthropologist join the expedition team and to return as soon as possible. The third was when Dr. Jackson crossed the 'gate to join SG-11.

So while waiting for the Air Force officer to arrive Walter asked Herrera to send everything over to his terminal which doubles as the Gate dialing console to check for himself what the female sergeant called an "anomaly" that she detected in their most recent archives. It was common to encounter glitches and other unknown energy spikes from time to time and most of them were really just that but in their line of work, nothing was passed on as a mere "glitch in the system" not until they've had a second and a third opinion. And that third opinion usually rested on Major Carter's shoulders, the leading expert in Gate technology. The same one who had been initiating gate diagnostics since the Program began.

"What's up, Sergeant?"

The technician turned to look up at the short-cropped, golden-haired Air Force officer. "Sgt. Herrera found something worth looking over, Major."

- - - o 0 o - - -

His name was Az'mec and he was barely seventy years old.

Among the Jaffa this young warrior was still considered to be in his, what humans call, adolescent stage. Despite his age and how young he looked, Az'mec was already a seasoned warrior of countless engagements and had earned the respect due to him by his peers. The young Jaffa may not look it, but he held one of the highest positions in their god's domain. Young Az'mec was second-in-command to the First Prime of the Lord Anubis.

And he also happened to be Herak's closest friend.

But Az'mec was now doubtful if Herak do consider him to be a close friend and confidante after hearing the disturbing news that greeted him that very early morning.

He entered the private chambers unannounced keeping his feelings in check. Jaffa were good at hiding their emotions and appear indifferent on the outside. But the warrior did not even attempted to hide the scowl he had been sporting since leaving the System Lord's throne room.

"What brings you here, Jaffa?"

He quickly looked up and saw the sole occupant of the room standing a few feet away from him. Az'mec stopped short not because of the other man's presence, although that alone commanded complete attention whenever he was in a room. More so standing beside Lord Anubis. It was, in fact, because of the other man's choice of outfit.

It was difficult to reconcile the idea that the man who had led their god's army on countless battles over a hundred planets against different enemies was the same man who was now regarding him with a disapproving frown. Az'mec studied Herak from head to foot, not liking what he was seeing at all.

"So it is true," the Jaffa began, his voice lower than usual. "You have indeed taken a vow of _akh'nar'eet_."

The First Prime of the Lord Anubis looked down at himself. He had taken off his armor and stripped himself of weaponry and was garbed in simple pilgrim attire. A loose, formless peasant shirt and a pair of baggy pants the color of desert sand hid his masculine figure and a simple pair of boots protected his feet. A cloak of the same color but of a shade darker was clasped securely onto one shoulder letting it enfold him, the ends touching the floor. The only remaining evidence that the man standing a few feet away from him was indeed his commanding officer and friend was the golden emblem of the lord Anubis on his forehead.

Herak shrugged after making a quick assessment of himself. A gesture Az'mec knew he rarely does in front of anyone. "Pray tell, where have you learned of this information?"

"From the lord Anubis himself," Az'mec answered. He remembered that there was a hint of sadness in their lord's voice when he disclosed the news to him. It came to Az'mec's notice that the System Lord had come to depend on his First Prime very much.

Herak's face darkened. He left without speaking but his silence and wary stance did nothing to stop Az'mec from having his questions answered as he followed. "Why?"

The First Prime did not stop nor turned to look at him. "I do not have to explain myself to you, Jaffa."

But the Az'mec knew him too well. This was not how Herak dealt with problems in the past. He usually meets them head-on. Something was not right and Az'mec was hell-bent on finding out what. "You are hiding something, Herak. I want to know what it is. Undertaking_ akh'nar'eet_ while you are First Prime is not wise. Others will see it as a sign of weakness! It is an open invitation for those who want to take – "

"_Kegalo!"_ cried Herak in anger as he turned to face his second-in-command. "It is not your place to question my decision. I suggest you leave now, Jaffa, for I have many things to do." Before turning to enter another room.

"I will as soon as I have my answer," Az'mec stated boldly.

"Have I not ordered you to leave?" retorted Herak.

He tried a different approach. "Herak, I am only concerned. What is the matter? I do not believe Lord Anubis would ask this of you."

"You would not understand," Herak spat. He reached for a bundle of clothing and stuffed it angrily into a cloth sack.

"Then _help_ me understand," Az'mec countered. "As a friend."

Herak stopped what he was doing as if trying to come to a decision and simply said, "I need to do this, Az'mec." That was the first time he had called the young warrior by his name since this whole confrontation started. It was a positive sign that the wall which Herak had built around himself was slowly crumbling.

"Why?" Az'mec prodded, stepping closer beside his friend. "I am sure that Lord Anubis has every confidence in you – "

"I have lost confidence in myself," the First Prime simply explained, not even looking up at him, putting more clothes and other items he needed for his journey. "I have shamed our Master greatly. I cannot even perform the most simplest of his behest. It is unforgivable. That is enough to suggest that I am no longer capable of protecting Lord Anubis anymore."

That caught Az'mec by surprise. He finally found out the root of the problem. "You think just because of what happened back on that planet…" This was not the Herak he knew. His friend would never doubt himself like this. "Herak, none of it was your fault – "

"Az'mec," Herak sighed, "I have thought this over and I will not be swayed by your words. Can you not see? It is something that I need to do, to see if I am still worthy of being his First Prime."

"Akh'nar'eet,"

The First Prime nodded. "I need solitude. A place where I can meditate. And it is not around here. Now, do you understand, Az'mec?"

Az'mec nodded gravely, understanding for the first time. Herak need no longer explain further and it was evident that he did by the way his tensed shoulders relaxed. "Many would rejoice once they have learned the truth," he warned morosely.

"I am aware of that, my friend. And that is why I have asked a compromise with Lord Anubis that while I am gone, you will do the duties of First Prime until I return." Herak tied the opening securely before letting it rest beside his bed. "And our Master accepted."

At this, Az'mec just stood there blinking in surprise. Speechless as he stared in bewilderment at the smirking older Jaffa.

"Whatever happened to that tongue of yours just a while ago was ready to sever my head from my shoulders?" Herak snorted. "Speak, Jaffa!"

"I-I do not… I do not think I am ready," he stammered.

Herak guffawed. "Bah! You have been my second-in-command for the longest time, Az'mec. Do not tell me that you are now recoiling from such responsibilities that you will, no doubt, inherit once I step down?"

"Protecting the lord – "

"I entrust you with our Master's safety because you are the only one I could depend upon in my absence."

He studied the bulging sacks on the floor once again and was saddened. Although dismayed, the young man could do nothing to stop him from it. "How long will you be gone?"

"Lord Anubis had given me ample enough time to re-evaluate myself," was Herak's enigmatic reply.

The young man solemnly nodded, looking at Herak's eyes for the very first time. "When are you leaving?"

Herak looked over his shoulder at the window behind him. "In a few hours' time. Enough time to instruct you about the duties of a First Prime... that is if you wish me to."

"Of course, I would be honored." Az'mec bowed slightly. "Have you breaked the fast yet?"

"Later, I still have to finish packing a few more of my belongings," with that, Herak opened another sack cloth. He heard the young man call out to him and turned.

"G'journey, my friend,"

Herak bowed ever so slightly, a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

"G'journey,"

- - - o 0 o - - -

_There was a broad smile on his face and a spring in his steps as he parted ways with Sam. They had just been into one of the base's sub-sublevels, working on their very first project together for the past few days. Next stop would've been Dr. Jackson's office but he had to go down Colorado Springs for a while and would meet him after lunch instead. With still a few hours to spare, he decided on going into his office for a while. As he entered he caught movement out on the corner of his eye._

"_I see you've been busy," Rhougan Dubois growled. He slowly stood up from his chair to walk near the table where two large boxes full of artifacts sat._

_He gulped. "Rhougan," he said awkwardly, completely caught unawares. He looked back to check if anyone was out in the hallway but found it empty. "You didn't tell me you were coming back today. If I'd have known – "_

_The older man went around the table to face him. "Care to explain these, Ambassador?" he inquired silkily, waving a hand to indicate the boxes between them._

_No sense in keeping it from him anyway. "I need those for research..." His green eyes followed the hand as it reached inside one of the boxes to fish out a rather weather-beaten artifact. He stood deathly still as his aide began examining it. "Uh… you might want to put that down, Rhougan," he slowly said, trying to sound flippant. "They're SGC property."_

_Cat-like eyes glared at him. "I have only been gone for days and look what you have gotten yourself into!" _

"_I just want to make myself useful," he explained. "And, besides, this was what I used to do the last time I was here. Well, except when SG-1's not on any off world mission."_

"_But you are not _on_ SG-1 anymore, Jonas Quinn" Rhougan said, "and no longer a member of their Stargate Command. You are our people's emissary to this world and you should begin acting like one." As if to emphasize his words, Rhougan carelessly tossed the poor artifact back into one of the boxes…_

A muffled banging sound from somewhere like a door being shut replaced the sound of the item as it landed somewhere inside after being tossed so callously in his dream. Jonas shifted from lying on his stomach to curling into a tight fetal position. His lids fluttered as his eyes moved restlessly underneath them.

"_They are merely taking advantage – "_

"_Of what?" he asked, voice raised a notch higher than he really intended to, "Of _what_? Of me? Of the naquadria? Haven't you been taking a good look around, Rhougan? Their civilization is far more advanced technologically in comparison to ours among others. They don't need us. But we need them. Naquadria is the only bargaining chip we can offer them in exchange for an alliance to help us fight the Goa'uld."_

"_So you have every intention of sharing the _Enosh_ with them?"_

_He nodded. "Yes."_

Disembodied voices intruded his dreams. Jonas huddled deeper in on himself. His bed uncomfortably hard.

"_But what of your promise to First Minister Dreylock?"_

_He shrugged. "I am not assigned into any of the off world teams, if that's what you're implying."_

"Stulta!_" he spat angrily, "You are being foolish, Jonas. These people wants you to think that they are your friends and you are playing right into their hands – "_

"_No!" he cried out raising a hand in warning hoping that Rhougan had not noticed the way it shook. He had no idea where this anger was coming from but he was, of the moment, beyond caring. _

_He stepped around the table to face the taller man, mere inches apart from each other. He breathed harshly and said, "I will not tolerate that kind of talk, Rhougan. They are not like that. These people are my friends. A part of me. They took me in when I had nowhere else to go. This place had been my home for two years. Yes, a lot here still blames me for what happened to Dr. Jackson but some had risked extending a hand of friendship to me and that I value very much." He had lowered his voice, barely controlling his anger as they continued to stare at one another._

"_Netcheset," Rhougan growled. _

But his voice suddenly changed. Gone was the deep timbre of the aide's, like someone else was now talking to him through the man's lips.

"Netcheset,"

Jonas opened his eyes wide and immediately regretted doing so as blinding yellow light overwhelmed his eyes. He physically recoiled from it, averting his face away and wrapped both arms protectively around his head. A splitting headache was now coming into full force like some madman with a hammer pounding in manic glee on the insides his skull again and again. Jonas gritted his teeth as he tried to stop his dark world from spinning underneath his closed lids and opted to just stay still until he could trust himself to move again.

Someone had coaxed him out of his dreams. A cool and soothing genderless voice. That was how he would remember it in the days to come. The speaker had used the endearment Jonas knew only five people had called him since he was little and that was what the young man had subconsciously responded to even in the deepest of sleep.

Netcheset.

When loosely translated in English meant, "little one".

As for the speaker, Jonas strained his ears and heightened the rest of his senses for that other presence in the room with him. He had no idea how long he had been like that and when he got tired of waiting slowly raised his head and took a look around under slit lids…

But no one was there. Funny, he knew he heard someone calling him. He risked lifting his upper torso even ignoring the painful throbbing in his head, to inspect his surroundings. It was a small room, six by six from the looks of it. Countless crates of whatchamacallits were stacked high on the walls, making the already small room smaller. The only wall that was left bare had a rusty rectangular-shaped metal that looked very much like a door. It left the middle empty and that was where the ambassador found himself in. And he was very much alone.

So where did that voice came from?

Jonas tried to sit up proper but halted midway when pain flared up in his right calf. He pried away the end of his pant leg and winced. The area around his ankle swelled angry red and the sneaker he was wearing wasn't helping at all. Carefully, he loosened its lace and adjusted the shoe to somehow help ease the throbbing in his ankle. He must've twisted it when he tried to –

A sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach that branched all throughout his body as memory flooded his mind like an avalanche.

They had just finished their report to the Council, relieved that they had somehow managed to prepare all the paperwork needed for the meeting in a short time. Prof. Vinril was there as a friend, advisor and project director. As they left the Council chambers, Jonas remembered that he had left Maj. Reynolds and some of his notes back in the antechamber that was reserved for their party where they could wait until summoned. He promised to join the others out in the hallway as soon as he gathered all his papers.

The ambassador found SG-3's commanding officer still inside, talking to someone over the radio, carrying the rest of Jonas' things in his arms as he moved towards another door that led out into the main hallway. The rest of SG-3 and Teal'c were already outside and as he approached the military officer, an explosion rocked the ground beneath his feet before his world slid into darkness.

And Jonas was a hundred percent sure that wherever this was, it was nowhere near the Joint Ruling Council Building.

Col. O'Neill would certainly get mad once he finds out the sort of trouble he was in. Make that railing mad. Ambassador or no, Jonas Quinn knew that if he even gets out of there alive, with all limbs attached, he was still going to be one very dead Kelownan.

"Peachy," he mumbled to himself. "Just peachy."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Honestly, I find writing Tok'Ras very hard. Confusing, in fact. Since we are talking about two beings inhabiting only one body. **

**Chapter Spoilers: **Allegiance, Shadow Play & Orpheus

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**17 **

He squinted amber eyes against the bright light that welcomed them as soon as they emerged from the obsidian darkness of the mines. He blinked several times to help his stung eyes adjust to its new surroundings, rendering him blinded for a while. He continued to see nothing but white. Well, he shouldn't blame his optic nerves for it since everything was covered in white for miles around and in the horizon where the snow-covered ground meets the sky there was nothing that, not even a wisp of a cloud, could be seen where the sun could hide behind.

He winced as an icy breeze hits his patrician face, temporarily making the facial muscles rigid. He would've raised a hand to protect it but both were currently grasping the ends of two rusty metal poles upon which a blackened canvass was tied at the middle.

He must've made a sound and felt his heavy burden stop its forward momentum, almost losing his precious balance in the process. He glanced watery eyes at the back of the young man holding the front end of the litter.

"Are you all right, _kui'a_?" he inquired, concern laced his voice. The endearment more pronounced as he turned to fully look at him, a slight frown shadowing his what should've been impassive features but, hey, Nee'chos was just a kid.

"Yes," he answered firmly. "Let's get back to work now, shall we?" he ordered but let a friendly smile appear on his lips, nudging the litter gently.

The word "kui'a" was a sign of high respect amongst the Jaffa, which meant "older brother" in Goa'uld and hearing young Nee'chos calling them one made the Tok'Ra uncomfortable at best. They do not deserve such high regard since he and his symbiote had done nothing to warrant such notice and no matter how many times they tried to tell the kid to stop calling them that, Nee'chos remained undaunted. The host merely did what he thought was the right thing to do and that was the beginning of it all.

_I have to admit, _Malek said._ I also find the Jaffa entertaining._

_Will you quit doing that? _Danem said, a bit irritated.

_What? _Asked his symbiote, feigning innocence.

_The one that you're doing just now. The kid's merely being friendly. _

_I do not trust them. _Was Malek's straightforward answer. He could definitely hear the symbiote huff in an arrogant way. _And neither should you, little one. _

_They haven't done anything against us and they had helped us in more ways than one. _He could envision the Tok'Ra symbiote giving him the eye. _Whatever happened to that open-mindedness that you've told Selmak and the others that you will from then on practice? _Remembering the incident where Tok'Ra, Jaffa and Tau'ri were stranded on the Tau'ri Alpha Site with an invisible Ashrak hell-bent on destroying them all through the "divide and conquer" method that Colonel O'Neill had told them.

_I was open to _your_ suggestion of setting the Jaffa prisoners free so we could recruit them over to the Rebellion, wasn't I? _

_It was a mutual consent, remember? No one got their arms twisted behind their backs. _

_We should've contacted the others while we had the chance. _Malek said glumly.

_Are you pinning our present predicament on me _now

In his mind's eye, Malek calmly blinked. _I have said nothing of the kind. I am merely stating the fact that if we have managed to alert any one of our allies, we might've stood a chance of getting out of here with the information we have procured. _

_We can still do that. _Danem grinded his teeth. _And you're forgetting that one of our allies are Jaffa_

_The Free Jaffa. The ones that I know of. _

_So you do not believe Yarek and his claim at all? _

The symbiote sent a picture of Danem shrugging while his host waited for a reply but none were forthcoming. He could only sigh in mild irritation and dropped the topic altogether, unsure if he even wanted to know Malek's answer.

He and Nee'chos continued on, making their way into another section of the area where more than a dozen pairs of Jaffa prisoners were busily performing their given tasks. Each clustered around scattered mounds of rocks that had been hauled out from the mines.

The Jaffa led him into one of these pairs, heard him call out a warning for the workers to step aside as they tipped their burden on top of the heap. They then set the empty litter down and waited as the men replaced its contents with a batch of already broken down raw naquadah for transport to the refinery.

Naquadah was the essential building-block of Goa'uld technology. The Ancients were the first ones to use this heavy mineral in 'gatebuilding since it was the only material capable of handling the massive amounts of energy required in creating a stable wormhole. It could be found all throughout the galaxy and it was only a matter of time for it to be discovered, mined and processed for its intended use.

There were two kinds of naquadah: mineral and liquid naquadah. Liquid naquadah was mainly used to power up small and portable Goa'uld weaponry and devices such as the staff weapons, zat'n'kitels, the hand devices, Goa'uld bombs, the ihn'tars, shock grenades and many others.

Meanwhile, two types of the mineral naquadah could be produced after being processed: the fine-grade naquadah used for shipbuilding and others and the weapons-grade naquadah which was denser, heavier and more powerful than its kin was solely used to power up ships and ship weaponry.

Once raw naquadah had been mined, it was then brought up to the surface to be manually broken down into smaller pieces. This not only helped the refining machine in expurgating the impurities from the minerals but it would also make the process quicker and easier. After this purification process, the refined naquadah then underwent a procedure called "_Bastah_," the classification of each product where potential weapons-grade naquadah would then be separated from fine-grade ones.

No one would've suspected that naquadah could be found there. For one thing, it was an unlikely candidate since the entire planet was covered in ice. Al-Kahira, named by the System Lord Merenptah, and its rich resources had been discovered a year ago and its location kept secret for fear that other System Lords might wrestle it from him. The planet was the crown jewel of this minor System Lord's realm and not only does it possess scattered pockets of raw naquadah – the entire snow-covered crust was sitting right on top of it!

The Tok'Ra High Council had somehow gotten wind of its existence and wanted to know the planet's location. Malek volunteered for this mission since it was not required for them to go to Al-Kahira, thinking that it was a simple get-in-gather-information-get-out routine.

It took the Tok'Ra agent more than five months to get into Merenptah's good graces and had even managed to attain a high-ranking position on their short stay there. After gathering enough information decided to leave when Malek (as a Goa'uld named Gor'kesh) had been assigned as Al-Kahira's new Goa'uld Overseer.

Naquadah mines were ideal places to recruit Jaffa into the Rebellion and Danem had seen the advantages of going there. He had a hard time convincing Malek in setting the Jaffa prisoners free and his plans of taking them back to the Tau'ri Alpha Site but he succeeded.

Once there, they convened in secret with the leader of the Jaffa prisoners. A former First Prime named Yarek who claimed to belong with the Free Jaffa and was more than willing to help plan an escape from Al-Kahira after showing him proof that they were indeed Tok'Ra.

But a day before they were about to execute their plans, another System Lord arrived to seize control of the planet. Based from the emblems on their foreheads, the Jaffa were in servitude to a Goa'uld named Kalki. But Malek was quite sure that Kalki had died thru the efforts of Jacob Carter and Selmak months ago. But it looked like that the Goa'uld had escaped the Tok'Ra attack.

They tried to escape and had evaded capture for a while but there were just too few places to hide. They had been interrogated and tortured for information regarding the mines, the late Merenptah (their leader, a woman had admitted of killing herself) and everything else about his domain. Malek tried playing an enraged Goa'uld so that she wouldn't suspect anything and the host even bore the abuse inflicted upon his person as much he could. The last thing the two remembered was the hand device being used on them. The Tok'Ra tried to shield his host from it as much as he could but he, too, succumbed to the pain.

It took both of them a long while to recover from their injuries but Yarek and other Jaffa were there to diligently look after the pair. The Tok'Ra had made friends and also enemies. The latter had even labeled the Tok'Ra a Goa'uld spy. But since they were under Yarek's protection, none could not lay a hand on them; although that doesn't mean they did not make work any harder for them.

There had been instances where some tools would go missing. They'd bump into the agent harder than necessary, trying to trip him over or does something that would attract the attention of their Jaffa guards.

The guards themselves weren't any different. They had given more attention to him and had never disguised how much they would like to have a chance at taking potshots at him. The Tok'Ra was used to such threats before and would only give them the cold shoulder.

But the woman. The woman, Maya was her name, who led the first wave of Kalki's attacking forces the pair treated with great wariness. If memory could be trusted, Danem had never heard of a woman in Kalki's ranks before.

_Kalki never trusted women. He already had a handful with Kali to be begin with, _Malek suddenly said, thoughtful.

_I know, _Danem agreed. _But you have to admit that she is a very formidable warrior. She only led a dozen Jaffa and had effortlessly brought down Merenptah and his personal guards single-handed._ And there was something about her that none of them could place.

_She is not Goa'uld, of that I am certain, little one. And I have also noticed her skills in the art of combat – hand-to-hand or other. Wherever this Maya came from, 'twould seem that she had been around Jaffa long enough to be comfortable about them. _

_Not to mention used to giving out orders, _Danem supplied. _And that makes her evermore dangerous. _

_Agreed, _Malek answered somberly. _We must steer clear of this woman, Danem. _

His host had now taken lead and was now making their way towards the refining machine located at the far end of the site. As they trudged towards the short line in front of it, Danem could not help looking at the direction of the large tent and saw her standing there by the entrance. She looked young with midnight black hair and dark blue eyes. Her graceful dancer's figure belied the strength and agility that this woman (or girl?) possessed.

He heard Nee'chos curse harshly behind him. He tore his eyes away to look at the Jaffa. "What is it?"

"The end of the line," Nee'chos growled, "see for yourself."

The Tok'Ra did as told and found Nee'chos' reason for dismay. At the end of the line stood Amran, the leader of the group that was against him and the most troublesome of the lot. He openly displayed his hatred against the Tok'Ra but could do nothing without openly challenging Yarek's leadership.

"Ignore him," he simply told Nee'chos as they fell in line behind the squat and heavily-muscled Jaffa and his companion. He seemed not to have noticed their approach and the Tok'Ra was contented at that. But Nee'chos continued his vigilance on Amran in case he does something not to his liking.

The line progressed forward. Two litters more and they could unload the naquadah before returning back into the mines. Arman was already halfway through at emptying their litter into the murky water at the mouth of the machine. Malek adjusted his grip on the litter as he prepared to step aside for Arman to pass through.

They simply could not believe their luck when Nee'chos showed them the Tok'Ra device, their only means of escape, a few nights ago. Aside from a few dents here and there, the dull gray device seemed pretty much intact after closer inspection. A brief message had already been composed and to whom they should send it to and when. The device was weather resistant but both symbiote and host were a cautious pair. It was now safely hidden deep inside his breast pocket and would definitely stay there until they could procure Al-Kahira's gate address.

A shout from Nee'chos behind him made the Tok'Ra agent snap into alertness. He merely had a split second to react as the end of a stout metal pole came swinging towards him. He knew that he cannot avoid it altogether in time so he tilted his head back, hoping to soften the blow as the metal solidly connected with his jaw.

Malek felt Danem's pain as his host reeled and his vision swam out of focus. Jarring pain blossomed on that side of his face as he felt himself hitting the ground hard. Malek quickly took control as his host lost his grip on consciousness. If Danem hadn't acted quickly the way he did, that blow could've either broken his neck or cracked his skull but it was still strong enough to knock his friend flat on his back.

He heard an angry snarl somewhere nearby as commotion happened around him. Someone helped him up and he grabbed at the man for support, groggily getting back on shaky legs as he shook away the tendrils of darkness threatening to engulf him from the edges of his mind. Blurred images were all that he could see but it was enough to know that Nee'chos was wrestling with another Jaffa on the snow-covered ground a few feet away from him. Probably Amran, Malek cannot be sure.

Malek then heard the unmistakable sound of heavy boots running towards them and the all-too familiar sound of staff weapons being readied, no doubt, bearing down on the two men.

Dread burst forth as Malek shook away from the helping hands holding him steady to stumble towards the pair on the ground, heart beating furiously. Yarek had asked them to look after Nee'chos while he was down working at the mines, knowing how the young Jaffa could be impulsive at times. He hoped as he blindingly reached out at one of them that he had grabbed the right one and began tugging him away without much luck.

"Nee'chos, that's enough!" he hoped his pained-filled voice carried enough authority for the Jaffa to listen.

"_I will kill him!"_ Nee'chos said with much hatred. He had seen the duplicity in Amran's actions. Saw him swung the metal pole at the Tok'Ra's direction crumpling to the ground after a blow like that, like a puppet whose strings had been severed from it. Nee'chos knew that Arman had every intention of injuring his _kui'a, _his"older brother". For him, it was enough grounds to forfeit the other man's life.

"No!" Malek urgently said, wanting to look at the Jaffa through the haze and pain. "Danem wouldn't want that. Desist I say!"

He was relieved when the young Jaffa roughly lets go of Amran and as his vision slowly cleared, the guards had surrounded them, staff weapons aimed at them. Malek immediately raised a hand above his head, indicating that they will not resist while his other hand was tightly clasped around the Jaffa's stout wrist.

" Jaffa," a female voice commanded. "_Kree!_"

Malek forgot to breathe as soon as he heard that voice. Two of the Jaffa guards facing them parted to let the beautiful woman step through the gap that looked at them with irritation sparking in her deep blue eyes.

They were in so deep trouble.

- - - o 0 o - - -

_They are in deep trouble. _

Was the first thing that came to mind once she finally stepped into the throng. She had been keeping an eye on the Goa'uld named Gor'kesh for sometime now, completely drawn to him for some unknown reason. There was something about him that piqued her interest.

And now as she surveyed the scene before her, Maya could not ignore the way the Goa'uld stood between the Jaffa she recognized as one of his frequent companions and the guards whose staff weapons were aimed at them. Nor the way Gor'kesh raised a hand in placation as he tried to protect the one behind his lean frame; his other hand gripping one of the Jaffa's wrist as the latter furiously eyed the guards over the Goa'uld's shoulder.

She had seen what had happened from her tent and who caused the disturbance. She turned to stare down at the Jaffa who was sitting silently on the cold ground before returning her gaze at Gor'kesh's agonized features, blinking more rapidly than the usual. Look like the Goa'uld was having a hard time seeing.

It seemed like an eternity before she said anything. And when she did, it was in a calm manner in which she spoke. "No blood had been shed so there is no reason to exact punishment," said she. "And I do hope that this is merely a minor disagreement. Be thankful that I am not in a spiteful mood today." She felt all eyes upon her. "Return to work," she commanded, "all of you."

The crowd dispersed around her. Maya remained until everyone had gone back to what they were doing. She was following with her eyes the Goa'uld and his Jaffa companion as the latter picked-up their discarded litter before turning his attention to the smaller man to say something when she felt a presence near her. "What is it, Boudin?"

"Our lord was hailing you through the _shr_, Lady Maya."

She spun around to look up at a pair of soft gray eyes. Boudin was close to two hundred years old, huge as a bear but very agile, swift of foot and quick with his hands. He was also wise and kind. Boudin had been her constant companion to most of her journeys. She could even say that the Jaffa was the closest she had to a friend and had been in the service of their lord far longer than Kalen that sometimes Maya questioned his choice of First Prime. Aside from them having the same height, the current First Prime was a far cry when pitted against Boudin's abilities. "Did he tell you why?"

"He was inquiring about our next shipment of processed naquadah and if it will be delivered on time."

Maya turned once again in time to see Gor'kesh disappearing inside one of the entrances to the mines. "That was all? He said nothing about us returning home?"

For answer, Boudin shook his long coppery mane which was tied down to a ponytail riding low at the back of his neck. He usually lets his shoulder-length hair loose mainly because Maya found it refreshing to look at since the other Jaffa were either bald or were sporting very, very short hair. She once said that the color also reminded her of the dark red earth of her birthplace. One that, she told him many times over, she could never return to nor ever see again.

Maya sighed. She fervently hoped that he would let her return to her usual duties or better yet let her join the hunt for this Jonas Quinn that he had been so eager to capture. This was, by far, the longest time she had been away from him and this did not sit well with her.

And then she saw it. Something buried in the snow. It was almost completely buried that she hardly saw it if not for the light reflecting on its surface. She walked over to it, bent ever so gracefully and stretched out a hand to brush away the snow. The coating was of dull gray and as she removed the strange thing there were a handful of buttons on each side. A red translucent spherical object was superimposed at the middle of it. Maya had never seen anything like it before so she had no idea as to what it is and its function.

"Lady Maya?"

She straightened, the alien device on her dainty hand. She had her back to Boudin as she continued inspecting it. Sounds of heavy boots came nearer.

"What is it?"

Maya quickly slipped it inside her clothing, not wanting Boudin to see what had captured her interest. Not yet at least. She quickly turned around. "It was nothing," she said assuring him. "I thought I saw something. The light was only playing tricks on me."

She then began walking towards her tent without a backward glance.

- - - o 0 o - - -

She left the General's office more tensed than she entered it. There was this nagging feeling that everything around her wasn't right. Like the bogeyman had decided to leave his dark and dank corner of the closet to stalk her today, ready to leap at her when she least expected it. She could feel it in her bones. In her gut. And there was this tiny voice in her head that continued whispering of things to come. Bad things. She tried to swat it, to push it in the farthest recesses of her mind, if ever that was possible and leave her alone. But as the day progressed, nothing seemed to make that nagging feeling go away. In fact, events unfolding around her only made it worse.

"_Have you seen Colonel O'Neill, Major?" _

"_Not yet, sir." _

"_No one else has either. Wasn't he supposed to drive both you and Dr. Jackson to base this morning?" _

"_Yes, sir. But it was getting late so I called Janet to pick me and Daniel up instead." _

She should've noticed from the very start that something was wrong. Darn it! How could she simply overlook it as tardiness on the Colonel's part?

Sam turned at a corridor and knocked on the very first door on the left before opening it. The Colonel's office was still dark and there was no evidence of it being disturbed since last night. Sam ruffled her hair anxiously before looking at her watch. It was already past lunchtime and still no sign of her CO.

_He must've gone off somewhere, _she thought, trying to reassure herself. But he never goes without telling at least one of them. Her CO can handle himself on any situation that she knew. But still…

She stood there in the hallway, her slinged arm twinged a bit as she flexed her hand while the other covered her mouth and lower jaw in a thoughtful stance, uncertain of what to do. She continued staring at the dark room in front of her as foreboding thoughts flitted through her head. She did not want to acknowledge it but as the day progressed, she had to admit that Colonel Jack O'Neill must be in some sort of trouble and that added to the worry she was already feeling after being summoned down at the Control Room that morning.

Her techs found a pair of highly suspicious anomalies during gate diagnostics. After a few adjustments, they discovered that the anomalies were, in fact, radio signals set on a very high-frequency that they passed usual detection and also that they match says a lot. But what caused Sam Carter to be distressed was the fact that both signals seemed to have originated from within SGC itself and were sent to one specific address on two separate occasions.

An hour after the discovery, Teal'c contacted the base to report that an attack had been made at the Joint Ruling Council building where both Jonas Quinn and Maj. Reynolds were taken by still unknown individuals. Sam quickly notified the Jaffa that they had to limit contact with each other for the time being and divulged to her friend what she and the techs found out earlier.

Through the monitor, she clearly saw the alarmed look on her friend's face. He also concluded that someone must've alerted their attackers in Kelowna about Jonas' return that day. They cut short their conversation, only enough for Teal'c to inform them that he and the rest of SG-3 would remain there until they have found Jonas and the Major.

She decided not to tell Teal'c about Col. O'Neill's disappearance, not wanting to worry her friend any further so that he could concentrate on their search for their missing comrades.

Sam wanted to immediately leave for Kelowna to help but there was no way in hell that the General and Janet would ever let her anywhere anytime soon. Oh, she tried reasoning, but it was pointless even before she began. And that was rather very frustrating on her part.

If she felt helpless then, she felt more helpless now. Her friend and team mate had disappeared off world and Sam cannot get to him. And now, the Colonel, in all likelihood, was also in the same predicament as Jonas was but the difference was that he's here on Earth and still there was nothing Sam could do but wait. Yes, the General had already dispatched every available man they could spare to go out and look for him – he even called his contacts within the system in order to find out if one or two agencies had a hand in it.

She knew everyone was doing what they could to find the Colonel, Jonas and Reynolds but she simply could not hide her distraught. Her friends were in danger and she was here safely cocooned in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain. It felt so unfair. It was like a nightmare coming true. Her worst nightmare.

For some unknown reason, she suddenly thought of Daniel. She hoped he was all right. She hoped that he was having the time of his life on P8D-767 with SG-11. She knew Daniel had to know what was happening but Sam didn't want to spoil his fun and decided to wait until he returned before telling him all that had happened in his absence.

A tiny voice in her head whispered that these events were all somehow connected. And she had to find the link. And if there was anything she could do to help them, it was to find out who was behind all this so that she could throw them out without any qualms (and for sure her conscience would definitely agree) into the cold vacuum of space.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Headhunter?"

"Uh-huh,"

"No doubt who he's after…"

"Yep,"

"You sure?"

"Uh… pretty much."

Daniel glanced sideways at SG-11's commanding officer, Army Colonel Stephen Bennett as he ducked back into the relative safety of their hiding place, a huge slab of stonewall in the middle of what seemed to be a huge courtyard of some long ago dwelling place.

Bennett sighed. This was not how he pictured his day would turn out to be. "No other way that this guy's _not_ a headhunter?"

Daniel unholstered his handgun, taking the safeties off with a casual flick of his thumb, before turning at the military man with a "duh!" look on his face. "The guy's armed to the teeth, greeted us with a hail of shots and he doesn't look anywhere near friendly, does he?"

Bennett shrugged. "Just checkin'." He said before taking another peek behind them.

"Although it would be a relief if he isn't," Daniel added, whimsically.

Everything was going along fine a few hours ago. The anthropologist was excited with the prospect of finally being able to decipher the inscription stele. The expansive ruins located deep within a forest was about two hours' walk from the Stargate but it did nothing to dampen down his glee.

Two members of '11 met Daniel at the gate and escorted him back where Bennett and their scientist Dr. Ruben Ames were continuing their exploration of the place. The two scientists quickly went to work and in the next two hours managed to culminate loads of recordings and, hopefully important, data. While he was exploring alone, Daniel stumbled into a small room and found a heap of rubble in the middle of the floor. Brushing these aside, he found a small object like a slab of metal about five millimeters thick, its size was that of his hands resting palms down side by side, fingers spread-eagled. He cannot inspect it with the dim lighting in the room. He was just about to call Ames over when he showed up.

Another headhunter. No doubt after him. Dr. Daniel Jackson. One of the highest bounties in the galaxy. He simply could not believe his luck.

"How many do you think are there?"

Daniel suddenly had the nagging urge to look inside his pack. "Headhunters work alone, Colonel. Basically, the word "sharing" is not in their vocabulary."

"Think he fell for it?" inquired Bennett beside him, indicating the ploy they had used to mislead the hunter away from them.

SG-1's archaeologist stopped what he was doing and shrugged, straining his ears. It really would've been much easier zatting these guys instead but headhunters were invulnerable to the Goa'uld weapon so the ones they were carrying were basically useless. "Not for long," he answered in an offhanded manner.

"Cummins, see anything?"

"Negative," the lieutenant answered over the earpiece they all had on.

"I think he fell for it, Colonel." Said another, Stokes most likely. "Want us to check it out?"

"Negative. We are high-tailing it out of here." Bennett noticed Daniel's furious rummaging through his pack. "What?"

"It's not here," Daniel mumbled more to himself than at Bennett.

"What?"

The archaeologist looked at him as if he'd only heard Bennett asking for the first time. "The artifact we found. I must've left it…" his voice floated and there was a distant look in his eyes as he tried to recall his thoughts. "I have to go back – "

Daniel was about to stand but the Colonel quickly gripped his arm and pulled him right back down. "What, are you crazy? Jackson, we have a headhunter out there who is after _your_ head."

"And everything we did here would be all for naught _if_ we leave that artifact behind," Daniel retorted back. "I must go – "

A blast hit the ground near Daniel and both men started. Gunfire burst around them as Bennett aimed his P-90 around to let loose a couple of controlled shots at their pursuer. Daniel also brought his handgun to bare.

"Go, Colonel!" Cummins cried out over the radio. "We got you covered."

Bennett did not have to be told twice as he sprung to his feet running away from the mayhem, grabbing a fistful of Daniel's cammo jacket and pushed the latter up and ahead of him whilst his team provided cover fire. If the flagship team's archaeologist wasn't with him, Bennett should be the one watching their six, return fire and keep the enemy at bay till they reached the gate.

The rest of SG-11 radioed in, assuring their CO that they were just right behind them. Bennett pushed Daniel on who was already running like hell on uneven and slippery terrain. He was impressed with the way the lead archaeologist of Stargate Command was handling himself in this kind of situation.

"Over here!" Daniel cried out suddenly, taking a sharp turn through a thicket on their left.

"Jackson!" But the man had already disappeared even before Bennett could stop him. There was no time to drag him back out. Bennett swore under his breath as he followed Daniel in. What's he up to now?

But as he cleared the dense foliage, there was no sign of the scientist anywhere. He looked around wildly, hoping to catch a glimpse of movement as he panted. What the –

"Jackson!"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I thought I could stay away from it for a while but I'm back again. Still have every intention of finishing the other fic and have two more chapters to go before I write "fin".**

**O/T: I would like to thank Maz Kasama for her review on _Search Party_. And also thank you to those who read _Gathering. _Pessimistic me never thought anyone would like it! Fully appreciated it. :)**

"_The operations of spies, saboteurs and secret agents are generally regarded as outside the scope of national and international law. They are, therefore, anathema to all accepted standards of conduct. Nevertheless, history shows that no nation will shrink from such activities if they further its vital interests."_

- Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alemain

**18**

They had been at it for hours now but still came up with nothing.

Teal'c had been unsuccessful in hailing both men on their radios. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he decided to make another careful inspection of the anteroom where his friends had mysteriously disappeared, thinking that he must've had somehow overlooked something.

There was no doubt in Teal'c's mind that this had something to do with the _Enosh _satellite project.

Professor Vinril had no intention of leaving. He wanted to be there once they found the two men. But after Teal'c had convinced him that remaining there would be dangerous and that Jonas would not like it at all, the professor finally, if not grudgingly, agreed to return with the Jaffa back to Kelowna and await word there instead.

He immediately alerted SGC of what was happening at Ynaea but was instead stunned by the news Major Carter had revealed: a pair of unknown high-frequency radio signals she suspected to be connected with the abduction of Jonas Quinn and Major Reynolds. She did not go into detail about it as she wanted to make their communiqué short so that whoever was behind this wouldn't further get the chance of sending any other kind of transmission through the Stargate from SGC to Kelowna.

There were some signs of struggle near the door that led straight out to the second floor main hallway. Jonas' things were strewn on two different places: one where Teal'c detected a struggle and the other beside the door that was connected to the main Council chamber.

SG-3 was scouring the connecting room behind him. Capt. Forster, SG-3's 2IC, couldn't mask the worry he felt for their missing commanding officer yet never lost focus on the task at hand.

Teal'c wholly blamed himself. If he was only there, maybe he could've prevented it from happening. He had been given the responsibility to watch over Jonas Quinn while they were on Langara but failed utterly in that regard. He was unable to defend his friend from their unknown attackers when they were only a few feet away from him.

Even before arriving at Ynaea, Teal'c could definitely detect the heightened tension emanating from the young man and some members of the _Enosh _project that were allowed to accompany the Ambassador and Professor Vinril to Ynaea. They talked in hushed, if not excited, voices. Their animated conversation carried on well until they reached the room assigned to them.

While the team was preparing their report, a resident guide invited Teal'c and SG-3 a tour around the establishment. Teal'c and Reynolds declined. But not wanting to start on the wrong foot, the Major had told Forster and the rest of SG-3 to "enjoy" the tour much to the guide's delight and to his team's crestfallen faces.

Not long after that, another government official had informed them that there had been some slight change of plans regarding the room assigned to them and that they had to move into another one for their own comforts. Teal'c and Reynolds exchanged glances but said nothing as they helped the scientists gather up all their paraphernalia and trudged behind them, keeping a close eye on Jonas who was engaged in deep conversation with one of the project scientists.

SG-3 arrived a good thirty minutes later with dour expressions on their faces. Reynolds couldn't help smiling, seeing that his men had indeed "enjoyed" their tour around the place. The major even went so far to saying that if they hadn't been required to deposit their weapons at Security prior to entering the building, the guide's life was in definite danger of being forfeited.

The door suddenly opened, causing the Jaffa and SG-3 to look up in unison.

"How was your meeting with the Chancellor, Rhougan Dubois?"

"The Chancellor is offering his and the government of Ynaea's help in searching for the Ambassador and your Major Reynolds." The aide replied sighing heavily as he went deeper into the room. He looked over Teal'c's shoulder to acknowledge the members of SG-3 as they approached to hear what he had to say.

Teal'c had met the man presiding over the planet's Joint Ruling Council before their closed-door meeting began, wanting to see to their guests' comforts. The wizened man smiled curiously up at him once Jonas Quinn had introduced them to each other.

"But?" Forster cuts in. He was resting both hands on the butt of his P-90, fingers hovering close to both the safety lock and the trigger. Security had discreetly returned all of their weapons back after the abduction was discovered. It would seem that the captain had no intention of parting with it until they were all out of there and back at the base in one piece.

"But he will not make this incident public knowledge, seeing the effect it is already causing between the Ambassadors of Kelowna, Terrania and the Andarii." Rhougan explained, although he said it like he had an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "He had already mobilized, covertly that is, all agencies within his and Ynaea's power to help and fully cooperate with us."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Forster sneered.

"Why should they start accusing one another when Jonas Quinn clearly represents not only your nation but Langara to the Tau'ri?" Teal'c asked.

"Kelowna only wants to send a small military team here to aid us," Rhougan said. "However, both the ambassadors of Terrania and the Andarii Federation had somehow put up the notion that it was merely a concealed attempt to invade Ynaea. So the subject was completely dropped to avoid any major dispute to arise."

This raised brows in the room. "How so?" inquired Teal'c. Jonas Quinn had told him a little of the country's history.

Ynaea was an island country located just a few thousand miles from where the southeastern end of the border between Kelowna and the Andarii Federation met the emerald green waters of the vast Santillae Ocean. Despite the hostilities between the tree major warring nations of Langara, and being near two of them, the people of Ynaea had remained neutral and were on friendly terms with all of them. He even noted in passing that the Council building itself was a place of great import even before it was converted into what it was now.

"For over three hundred years, Ynaea had been under Kelownan rule but relinquished our claim on her roughly about two hundred years ago. Still, my government continues to give assistance in times of turmoil or civil unrest which was rampant in the first part of their independence." The aide said. "And for that alone, our neighbors theorized that we had regretted ever letting go of our hold on these islands and wanted to take it back by any means possible."

"Yeah, right," Forster snorted out loudly.

In which Rhougan immediately countered. "We are not the barbarians that you think we are, captain. We respect the people of Ynaea for they are our friend… Teal'c?" he had noticed the sudden change in the Jaffa's demeanor. "What is it?"

Teal'c was trying to recall something that Jonas had said earlier. "Rhougan Dubois, what was this structure used to be before it was converted to become the residence of the Joint Ruling Council?"

"The Governor's Palace," Forster answered instantly, recalling from memory what their guide had said that morning. "This place was built primarily to be the Kelownan governor's seat of power and also doubles as his residence. After the turnover, the elected official and his family then took up residence here because it had a system of secret passageways that lead out to different places in the city in case of an attack or something similar." The captain quickly glanced at Rhougan for confirmation.

The aide nodded seeing where this was all heading. "This building had been abandoned for years after their twelfth High Minister was killed within these walls. It's been theorized that the attacker must've known of its existence, which has been a long kept secret, and felt more in danger here than anywhere else. But it has been sealed long before the Council was even formed."

"There is always a possibility that they may have overlooked one," Teal'c suggested.

"It's better than nothing," Forster quipped. The atmosphere was highly charged with excitement as hope started to well up inside them. They did not waste another second and began looking for any sign of a secret passageway.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"…_om! Defense units to the Gate Room!"_

Even before Walter could finish his broadcast, Samantha Carter was already sprinting for the Gate Room, cradling her injured shoulder as she went. She cared not if she collided with a team of armed men who also happened to be heading the same direction but the airmen halted and gave her a wide berth to enter before them.

She prowled the bottom of the ramp like a restless animal, walking to and fro, looking down at her boots, at the shimmering event horizon then back down at her boots again. She bit her lower lip, fighting the urge to growl out in impatience, ruffling her already unkempt hair for the nth time since that day began. What was taking them so long?

The moment they received SG-11's IDC, Sam's heart made an erratic _thump! thump! _in her chest. Finally! One of her friends was coming back! But it also made her worried. Daniel had just left for P8D-767 to join Colonel Bennett's team six hours ago and the archaeologist had every intention of staying there til tomorrow. She heard more than a dozen clicks behind her as the defense units aimed their weapons at the open gate but never flinched at the sound.

What could've caused them to return prematurely? A million probabilities were now bouncing around her head.

Ames came through followed by Stokes. The Major eyed both men who greeted her. The lieutenant looked relaxed enough but Ames seemed worn out and, from the looks of it, panting a little. Next to appear was Cummins. Then Bennett. And even before he was halfway through the gate, Sam was already jogging up the ramp to meet him.

"Daniel!"

She immediately wrapped her friend in a fierce one-armed hug and lingered there for a moment. She cared not if there were other people around. The only thing foremost in her mind right now was that Daniel returned to them safe and unharmed. Temporary relief flooded her being though it was not enough to completely douse the mounting fear that was turning into full panic.

"Hey, Sam," Daniel greeted uncertainly, startled by her unexpected display of emotion. He wanted to look at her but her slim arm was still tightly wrapped across the back his neck and shoulder that there was nothing left to do but stand there and hug her back in return. He glanced across the Gate Room at the view port threw a questioning look at Gen. Hammond standing there. The Base Commander only nodded at him stiffly, his lips set in a grim line. Just then, Maj. Davis appeared beside the man, wearing a grave look on his face.

Sam finally let go at last giving Daniel the opportunity to study her face. The weak smile she offered up at him was not enough to hide the worry clearly written in her blue gray eyes. But even before he could ask her what was wrong, General Hammond's voice came through the room's PA system, welcoming the team and Daniel back and that debriefing would be in an hour.

"What happened?" Sam was the first to ask, concerned. "I thought you were going to stay the night there?"

"Uh, something's come up," Daniel answered regarding her intently. She was clearly upset about something and wanted to know what it was.

"A headhunter's the thing that came up," blurted Col. Bennett by the bottom of the ramp, throwing a smothering glare at the archaeologist's way before exiting the room after his team.

Her eyes widened upon hearing this.

"But we managed to get away in time," said Daniel quickly assuring her, seeing the shocked look on her face. He also mentally took note the next time something like this happened again, he wouldn't risk life and limb saving Bennett's ass for scaring Sam like that. "So what did I miss?" Hoping to divert the topic into much safer ground as they descended the ramp together. "Has Jonas and the others returned yet?"

There was a long pause before she answered in as obviously restrained voice. "I think we'd better wait till the debriefing,"

"What happened?" Daniel suddenly felt a shiver run along his spine at Sam's puzzling answer. "What is it?" He began to look around and realized that there was something missing in this whole scenario.

"Where's Jack?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

"A headhunter?"

"Yep,"

"You know these guys are after – "

"Uh-huh,"

"_And he still came back for it?"_

"Bingo!"

Daniel Jackson bit his inner cheek, completely vexed by it all, as he eyed Sam sitting right next to him and Col. Bennett directly across the table. "Look, could we please stop the _verbal ping pong_ you two are having at the moment and focus on more pressing matters at hand?"

The two officers looked at each other then at the clearly miffed archaeologist. Their silence was answer enough.

"Dr. Jackson," the General began, "as Col. Bennett had elaborated a headhunter appeared at the site and yet you deemed it necessary to come right back?"

"Yes, because as I've told Col. Bennett back on the planet," eyeing the Army Colonel malevolently before continuing, "our venture there would be entirely pointless if we leave what we have discovered behind. Fortunately, I found a way to temporarily render our pursuer senseless."

Bennett snorted. "Yeah. You just let loose an enormous tree trunk straight at him." He could still hear the swishing sound the trunk, wrapped in thick thorny vines, had made as it passed an arm's length away from him. He thought at that moment that the archaeologist was trying to do him in.

"It was just a glancing blow to the head," Daniel said defensive, his vexation getting the more of him. His eyes having been reduced to slits as he stared at the man across from him.

Gen. Hammond deemed it wise to interrupt. "So where is it?"

Daniel fished out the metallic artifact from its silver case and theatrically placed it in the middle of the table for everyone to see. All seven leaned forward for a closer inspection. It was Maj. Paul Davis who had been sitting silently on Sam's other side voiced out what the others were thinking. "What is it?"

The archaeologist opened his mouth to reply when Bennett spoke first. "Kinda similar to those Goa'uld reading tablets," he commented, poking it with his index finger. "Except this one's much bigger."

"So where's the page-turner?" Sam was quick to ask.

"It _is_ similar to a Goa'uld reading tablet," Daniel said in agreement, although there was a slight irritation in his voice as he said this. "But I can't say anything conclusive not until I've studied the glyphs we've found at the site. They may give us a clue as to what this tablet really is for."

"If you want, sir, SG-11 can always go back there and have another look at this room Dr. Jackson says and see if we could find ourselves a page-turner." Bennett volunteered.

Hammond shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, Colonel," he said, dead serious.

Bennett nodded his understanding and made no move to protest.

"What I don't understand is," Davis suddenly butted in, "how come the headhunter knows that Dr. Jackson was going to arrive at P8D-767 when his point of origin's here at SGC?"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Bennett suggested. "Maybe he's after the tablet all along and pursued us because he thought Daniel has it."

"We've been receiving reports from our off world allies that headhunter activity all over the galaxy had increased incrementally in the last two months." Sam informed them.

"And we know, or at least have an inkling, as to the persons they're specifically after." The liaison officer to the Pentagon added as he looked at Daniel concernedly. "They made an attempt at Kelowna a few days ago and, in all likelihood, they may also be responsible for this morning's incident – "

"Wait, wait, wait," Daniel straightened up suddenly, raising a hand. There was the matter of Jack not being there, Jonas and his team not yet arriving from Langara and Sam dodging his earlier questions. Now it would seem that one of them was in trouble. He adjusted his seat to look fully at Davis down the table. "This morning?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

It was one of the supporting beams itself.

Forster found it after ten minutes of careful search. One of Jonas Quinn's numerous folders toppled over the edge of the table when the captain accidentally bumped into it. As he was gathering them together, a few of the loose papers flew and he felt a draft of air touch his outreached hand.

"Do you know how far these passages go, Rhougan Dubois?" Teal'c asked as he raised his flashlight higher, the beam piercing the obsidian darkness that surrounded them.

"It's been said to go on underground for miles," the man behind him said. They were walking single file for the passageway they were in was narrow but dry. "It's also been supposed that the farthest one is in the outskirts of the city. Well, let's hope this isn't it."

"_Teal'c, already reached the end, yet?"_

"We have not," Teal'c answered. They had left SG-3 behind, in case someone happened to appear to check on them. They decided not to notify anyone at the moment, not until they found out what awaited them on the other side of the tunnel.

"_You've been down there for a full thirty minutes now."_

His companion hissed something in an unfamiliar tongue that made the Jaffa slightly turn his head at Jonas Quinn's aide.

"Rhougan Dubois had said that these tunnels stretch on for miles, Captain Forster," Teal'c informed the 2IC. "We will contact you once we reach the surface."

"_Good luck,"_

The radio fell silent as Teal'c and Rhougan Dubois continued on their way.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas Quinn gratefully sagged against a pile of crates nearest him. He took a moment to catch his breath after dragging himself to where he's at right now. With that accomplished, he turned his attention to his swollen ankle and after much prodding deduced that he most likely sprained it rather than broke it.

Testing this theory, the Kelownan looked up and behind him at the wooden crates. Reaching up with a hand he experimentally tugged at one with all his might. It did not so much as moved at all, which suited Jonas just fine.

He twisted around, grabbed the highest crate he could reach and carefully began hoisting himself up. Just as Jonas had managed to stand he heard footfalls coming from the other side of the door. He immediately lets go, lost his balance and fell hard on the concrete floor and hissed between clenched teeth to stop himself from crying out as sharp stabbing pain erupted from his ankle.

The door slowly slid open without a sound. Amazing for an old rusty one. They probably oiled its mechanism before putting him in there. It was Jonas' first glimpse of the poorly lit corridor beyond the door.

Two men appeared. One was stocky and bow-legged and was, at the moment, aiming his gun at Jonas while the other, a very thin individual, carried a tray laden with food. And it smelled good, too.

Jonas tore his eyes away from it to study his abductors. "Where am I?"

Neither answered his query but it wasn't going to keep Jonas from asking another question.

"What do you want?"

The man with the gun merely smiled arrogantly down at him as the thin man placed the tray at a safe distance before straightening up and head for the open door without a backward glance.

"Eat," the armed man said. He had a mild accent that hadn't escaped Jonas' notice. "Gonna need it."

The wolfish smile never left his face as he cockily sauntered towards the door after his associate but halted midway to look back at him.

"Gotta long journey ahead of you," the bow-legged man said, making Jonas look up at him again, "_'Mbassador._" He then curtsied, or at least tried to, before barking out a hallowed laughter, closing the door behind him.

The Kelownan sat there, looking at the door, fighting back the fear trying to rise inside him. Whatever these men were planning, he wasn't going to be a willing participant in it at all. He had to get out of there.

_Think, Jonas, think! _His radio was gone, probably taken by his captors, so there was no way he could contact Teal'c and the others. The thought made him stop. Were they still in Ynaea? He had no way to be sure but he wasn't going to hang around to find that out once his captors decided on moving him to wherever they were taking him. He could to do it all by himself.

He shook his head mentally waking himself up. Whether this place was Ynaea or not, he was still going to get out of there.

Looking around, Jonas saw piles of crates, no one about and a single, locked rusty door. Not to mention a tray of delicious-looking food three feet away from him. His stomach rumbled at the smell of it. One indication that he'd been knocked out cold for hours.

_Eat first then plan a way out of here._ That was simple enough as Jonas reached for the tray. _No sense escaping on an empty stomach. _

He picked up the spoon and began eating.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! It made me so happy to read them all before I start work in the morning! Hope you will like this next one. The first scene should've been included in 18 but then I thought "Nah! Let Jonas stew for a few and leave the others in high panic." As straitjackit (good to have you back, sister!) once told me I am evil, yes, I admit I am – but solely for your entertainment. And still sharpening my horns for the coming chapters! Bwahahahahaha!**

**Just to give you an idea on where I got most of the names I use:**

**b'ja** – the name the Ancient Egyptians gave to the metal iron. _B'ja_ or "divine metal" was the basic component in making an instrument called _meshtyw. _Ancient Egyptians believed that it came down from the heavens and was a gift from the gods.

**meshtyw** – a mysterious ceremonial instrument used by a high priest in the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony during burial. It closely resembled an adze or a carpenter's cutting tool.

**19**

Two other men came to collect the dishes not long after. Jonas hadn't bothered engaging any of them in conversation and simply waited for them to leave.

As soon as their steps faded away, the Kelownan quickly sprang into action.

He was up again holding onto the crates for support and balance. He testily puts weight on his sore ankle and was relieved to find that it could support some of it. Wobbling a bit, Jonas began a slow and careful inspection of the room looking for that one mistake his captors hopefully made that he could use to his full advantage.

After a few minutes, another fact was added to his previous assessment of his "holding cell". Piles of crates, no one about, a single, locked rusty door and no windows. There was a ventilation shaft but it was too small for him to fit in.

_Probably a storage room of sorts,_ he surmised as he continued scrutinizing the room with his eyes after he opened all the crates he could get to. They contained an odd assortment of junk: cheap figurines, children's toys, blank papers, while others contained colorful bottles of varying sizes and shapes. There was even one crate that contained some well-preserved deep-sea predators of the far south wrapped in linen. There was basically nothing there that he could use.

One time, he lost hold of one crate and the resounding crash made him stiffen. He didn't move for a while, as most of its contents spilled on the floor, waiting for one of his captors outside to come in and investigate if they heard the racket he was making. But, thankfully, the corridor outside remained silent.

The only thing left unexplored was the door and purposely hobbled towards it.

Jonas pressed his ear against the corroded metal, listening intently for any sound coming from the other side of it. Nothing. He struck the door with his fist several times, stood back and waited apprehensively.

_Seems like I'm pretty much alone,_ he thought after a while. Whether this lack of a guard was a good thing or not, he would know soon enough.

It had no handle or anything to grab on, much less a peephole. There was, however, a small, rusty, triangular panel across from him. He'd bet all the naquadria Langara had that it was the door's lock mechanism.

Jonas pressed the button. Nothing happened. Of course, his captors weren't that dumb enough to put him in a room where he could easily escape from. He studied the cover plate. It had screws on all sides and there was no way to access it internally without any tools. His hand dropped heavily on his side as he rested his forehead against the cool concrete wall. Now what?

It was only then that Jonas became conscious of his right hand clutching the front end of his shirt. He had no recollection of doing that and looked at the hand in wonder. It took a few seconds before it dawned on him and had almost smacked his forehead at his own stupidity at not seeing the obvious. His hand wasn't clutching _at_ the cloth – it was clutching at something _underneath_ it!

The dog tags. He had completely forgotten about them!

Grasping the pair of thin metal plates had helped him calm down whenever bouts of anxiety attacked him, at moments of uncertainty, of self-doubt. But ever since returning to Earth and SGC the habit disappeared so sudden that Jonas never realized it until now much to his surprise.

He quickly took off the chain around his neck as he eyed the cover plate intensely. It would fit in perfectly. Jonas pried one of the black rubber frames off of one thin metal plate and shoved it in his pocket. He had no intention of leaving anything of his behind.

With the edge of the silver identification tag bared the Kelownan was just about to fit it into one of the screw heads when suddenly he hesitated. It was a gift from Colonel O'Neill. He had no idea how the older man would react if he were to damage it.

_The Colonel'd probably understand,_ reasoning with himself at the apparent sacrilege he was about to make. He took a deep breath and began the tedious process of unscrewing the cover plate.

Fifteen minutes and a couple of dents later, Jonas Quinn finally managed to remove it. He inspected the condition of the tag and winced. There was no doubt at all that the Colonel was going to kill him now. But in order for the man to be able to do that, Jonas had to get out of there first.

He returned the dog tags back under his shirt as he bent a little to peer inside the exposed control box. A string of colorful oaths in different languages came to mind. Someone had been keen enough to guess that their prisoner might tamper with the door's lock mechanism and had done something about it.

The wires had been severed. And recently, too, from the looks of the shiny cut edges. Those leading to the door were poking through the gap while the other side, where there should've been wires that led straight to a power source, was completely empty.

Jonas rubbed at his face in frustration. The remaining wires seemed to be in good condition but he got no power source connect them to. He needed just about enough to open the door a crack and he'd take it from there. He gazed up at the light overhead and followed the cable that fed power to it across the ceiling with his eyes. It disappeared into the wall, out of his reach. No luck there.

And then another idea came to mind. He quickly turned to stare hard at the broken crate lying a few feet away. As he was skirting his way around it earlier, he espied a power outlet, half-hidden behind the crates to the right but gave it no thought then. It got his full attention now.

He found the mistake he was looking for.

It was a tight squeeze between crates he had managed to push aside. He fished out his dog tags again and began working. It was no mean feat as the outlet was barely ten inches above the floor. He would only stop to wipe the sweat from his face and listened for any kind of activity coming from outside.

Halfway through his third screw, the tag broke with an audible snap, causing Jonas to gasp in alarm. He picked up the broken piece off the floor and studied the two halves in dismay. It was one of the two remaining presents he had left and now it was broken beyond repair.

_Focus. _He mentally shook himself from the depression that was quickly settling in and tried to get worked up as being angry at himself. _Get depressed later._

He puts them back on having decided on using the chipped off part instead and continued working on uncovering the power outlet. Finished, he threw aside the rusty plate and peered inside.

What Jonas Quinn saw there were not wires but his ticket to freedom.

- - - o 0 o - - -

With one final heave, Teal'c successfully removed the heavy lid from the mouth of the tunnel. Bright sunlight poured forth enveloping the two men in its warm embrace, momentarily blinding them.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, the Jaffa already had the zat in hand, senses ever alert. Seeing that they were in no immediate danger, Teal'c then dipped his head at Rhougan ever so slightly, stepping aside to let the aide pass and followed him out. They found themselves in a long, deserted alley.

"We're still in the city," the man said, looking at both directions. Teal'c had done the same. There was movement at the end of the alleyway they were facing. People in colorful clothing and gaiety filled the air. While behind them, darkness and absolute stillness greeted them.

"Captain Forster,"

"_What's happening, Teal'c?"_

"We have reached the end of the tunnel," he said over the radio. "It appears that we are still within the capital but is of some considerable distance away from the Council building."

"_Can you tell us where you are? We could meet up there."_

"I would suggest otherwise, Captain Forster." The Jaffa said. He noticed the aide staring intensely at the darkened end of the alley. "What of the investigation your team is conducting?"

"_We tried looking for the guy who had us moved from our original location based on your description. No go. And the name Zoan is very, very common in these parts. Security gave us a list and there were more than a hundred employees by that name. My take… the guy's bogus."_

They had deduced that the government official who oversaw their move that morning could shed some light as to who had ordered the re-assignment and from there possibly track down the men behind the kidnappings.

"_We went to check out the other room. It also had a hidden passageway but was tightly sealed shut. Look, you sure you don't want us to follow you guys there?"_

"Remain where you are. If they discover that we are no longer in the building, it may alert whoever it is that may still be watching our movements," Teal'c reminded the military officer. "It may put both Jonas Quinn and Major Reynolds in danger."

"This way," Rhougan announced, out of the blue, as he briskly walked towards the cold and gloom.

He heard what the aide had said and quickly followed. "We will maintain radio silence for the time being, Captain Forster. We shall contact you as soon as we are able."

Teal'c unholstered a second zat from his belt and activated it as he ran beside Rhougan Dubois; his keen hunter's sense was also pointing him in the same direction, away from the noise and the colorfully dressed people and into the darkness that readily engulfed them.

- - - o 0 o - - -

The Goa'uld Nibiru crossed the elegantly furnished room in dreaded silence; partly because he knew he was about to disturb his lord's morning repast and partly because of what he was about to ask.

Mealtime was something the System Lord enjoyed not entirely because of the food but it was the only time he had allotted to himself. He would banish all, except for Lady Maya who attended to his needs but since she was away a servant had taken her place, from his private chambers to eat in silence and mostly to meditate.

His First Prime had been most displeased when the scientist had daringly asked to have an audience with their master and said that what he was about to discuss simply could not wait. But instead of turning him away, Kalen surprisingly ordered the Jaffa standing guard over the entrance to the chamber to let Nibiru in, but without sneering at the scientist contemptuously.

Nibiru simply ignored Kalen as he entered the antechamber and went through two spacious chambers before coming to a halt at the threshold of what the System Lord called "dayroom".

Like the rest of the lord's sanctuary, the dayroom was also lavishly adorned with furniture of the utmost beauty and of excellent craftsmanship. Almost all of them were studded with precious and semi-precious stones. The walls were painted with scenes depicting the System Lord on some of his victorious battles and numerous conquests but there were also paintings of hunts and also while playing a game of draughts.

And on the far side was a wide open terrace, with the distant mountain ranges in the west as its backdrop, replacing what should've been the fourth wall in the room. In the middle of the open space stood a grand table filled with different kinds of dishes. Nibiru saw a young male attendant offer up a platter of some exotic dish at the only occupant sitting resplendently in repose at the head of the table who had dipped his head ever slightly in affirmation. The servant then placed some on his lord's plate.

The System Lord had his back to the scientist giving Nibiru a chance to study his profile in leisure. A rare sight to beheld. The gentle morning sunlight made a soft halo around his loosened shiny, jet black hair. His head was bared of any ornaments as was the rest of him. Gone were the rich garments and jewelries that he usually wore. He was clad in simple clothing, impeccably white and it perfectly created the illusion of him glowing bright under the sun. Like a true god.

The scientist started when the System Lord spoke suddenly. "Nibiru," he greeted, but did not look at the man as the servant offered another dish into which he languidly shook his head. "Come, sit. Partake of the food on the table with me."

There was no hint of irritation or anger that Nibiru could detect. The System Lord had always been composed and soft-spoken and seldom raised his voice in anger. But the scientist knew that he had intruded upon his master's privacy. "I humbly beg to be excused, my lord," said he, bowing slowly. "I know I am not supposed to intrude upon your repast but I wish to speak with you regarding some matters about the _meshtyw_."

He gracefully waved a hand. "Speak."

The scientist dipped his head in return. "We have concluded monitoring the lingering aftereffects of the explosives that were used to overcome Merenptah and his followers at Al-Kahira, m'lord." He said. "As instructed, we used a few of the old ones and mixed it with our own prototypes and placed each of them in strategic points around the encampment, without endangering the naquadah vines underground. But," he paused over this, thinking how best to say it, "one of them had somehow found its way into one of these vines and the resulting effect was most disastrous."

The Goa'uld lord inclined his head ever so slightly. "Would it cripple our naquadah production?"

"In time, yes." Nibiru answered honestly, letting regret flow through his every word. "It would seem that the contact had a negative effect on the naquadah and ground tremors had increased each passing day thus greatly endangering everyone on the planet."

The System Lord fell silent. He rested his chin on his hand as he stared out at the mountain range whose tops were now shrouded by pristine white clouds, contemplating. Nibiru stood there, waiting patiently as he continued studying the Goa'uld's profile.

"How long do you think we have before we completely abandon the planet?"

He had a ready answer to that. "At the rate of increasing ground movement. A few days. A week at most."

Silence.

"What other matter about the _meshtyw_ that you wish to discuss, Nibiru?"

"We are low on _b'ja_, my lord."

"Worry not, scientist," The System Lord said, as he began eating. "I know where to acquire _b'ja_ for you. In fact, I will do it myself."

"But, lord, why not let your Jaffa take care of it? It is such a menial task for you to do."

He grunted softly. "On the contrary, it is quite dangerous. No one can get anywhere close to the persons who zealously guard it unless it is I. But I will not go there just yet." He accepted the cup filled with wine from the servant, smelling it before taking a sip. "I think I will visit Al-Kahira first and see how the Lady Maya is doing."

Nibiru bowed in acquiescence. There was still another matter that was not settled. "I am also happy to report that our team of scientists had reached the location of the gate address that you wished to conduct another round of tests on the potency of the _meshtyw_."

"Good. Keep me appraised. But in the meantime…"

The scientist bowed very low. He understood perfectly what the System Lord was implying. "I will take my leave now, my lord."

Once the scientist left, the dark-haired ruler stood up and casually strolled along the edge of the terrace, staring at the distant shapes in the west. The male attendant followed and stood at respectable distance from him. "_B'ja_… there's only one place where it is in abundance." He clasped his hands behind him and set firmly his jaw.

_B'ja_ was the old name of that highly prized metal. Even then, itwas hard to come by and many a man wanted to have even a smallest portion of it in his possession. Who would not when it was almost near to being indestructible?

The name, through the ages, was changed by the very persons who had been guarding it wanting to eradicate all traces of its discovery to the Goa'ulds. From the name _b'ja_ it became the_ key._ And, just recently, the Tau'ris had another name for it.

Trinium.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas Quinn adjusted the holster of the gun so that it hung very low on his hip, coming to rest comfortably on the side of his left thigh. He'd give anything for a zat right about now but since that was impossible, settled for the gun he'd managed to acquire from one of his captors who was at the moment lying on the ground out cold.

He was correct in guessing that no one was standing guard outside as he squirmed his way out of the slim opening he'd managed to pry between the door and its framework. But he never guessed that there wasn't anyone on that level _at all_.

The thought only occurred to him when he reached the stairwell without incident. He leaned over the railing to check out the stairs above and below him, deciding what direction he'd take. There were no windows on that level so he had no idea on which way to go.

_Up._

Instinct told him to go up when it clearly went against all logic when he should be heading down instead. What had he learned at Stargate Command? Specifically from Col. O'Neill?

So up Jonas Quinn went. And was rewarded when he met one of his captors.

Sneaking up was a breeze. And Jonas Quinn was limping. Either the man was completely deaf or simply inattentive to his surroundings.

The Kelownan dragged the man into one of the darkened rooms and stripped him of his outer clothing, which was twice his size, and wore them over his own. He also took the gun and spare clips before going on his way.

He had no idea where he was and in a few minutes found himself completely lost. Two levels up, Jonas was getting more frustrated and his ankle throbbed painfully. Alarms were ringing in his head. The longer he stayed there the more likely he would be found out.

A scratching sound reached his ears, heightening his senses. He heard a noise somewhere behind him. Jonas picked up his uneven pace and was now gripping the gun in one hand as he kept on looking behind him from time to time, hoping to reach a turn down the corridor where he could hide.

He managed to reach it but as he turned to run, a butt of a long weapon struck him solidly on the side of his face, crumbling limply to the ground.

The last thing he remembered before darkness engulfed him was looking up at the blurred features of his assailant.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Stunned silence greeted Sam's recount of all that had happened while Daniel Jackson was gone. The shocked look on his boyish face was enough to suggest that he was taking it rather badly.

Bennett and SG-11 also sat there stunned. There was so much to take in there wasn't enough time to register anything else.

Sam looked uncertainly at Davis, who wore a grim expression on his already serious face. The Pentagon official was accepted as an adopted son of SGC, because of his dedication to the Command and to what it stood for. He had also been instrumental to some off world missions (mostly with SG-1) that proved to be vital in the continued existence of SGC just like the rest of them. As liaison officer, he tenaciously shielded and protected Stargate Command from outside influence and safeguarded its leadership from those who wanted to seize control for their own personal gains. He's also a close friend to members of SG-1. Part of the family.

Jack and Jonas weren't the only ones they were concerned about. Maj. Reynolds, too, was an invaluable member of SGC. He rose from the ashes of his muddy past and became one of the most respected commanding officers in the Command. And he was also family.

For Sam, this was looking more and more like a family meeting rather than a military debriefing.

"This is like one of those horrible nightmares where you can't breath," Daniel mumbled to no one in particular into which Sam reluctantly agreed. "Did you ask around the neighborhood?"

Davis nodded. "A next door neighbor saw the Colonel's truck backing out of the garage early this morning. From there, we lost his trail altogether."

Daniel bowed his head thoughtfully. "What about the radio signals? Were you able to, at least, decipher what they were?"

"Both transmissions were comprised of a single word," Sam explained. "The first was MANOR. It was transmitted the moment we established a wormhole to check out the burglary over at Jonas Quinn's home. The second one was COUNCIL. It was also transmitted as soon as our Stargate connected with that of Langara's."

"So whoever he is, knows exactly where Ambassador Quinn's going every time he's at Langara." Bennett speculated.

"Or at least the main reason of Jonas returning there," Sam added. "And that person had to be in close proximity and had easy access to the Stargate without arising any suspicions."

"He could send it either from the Control Room or the Gate Room itself," Davis deduced.

"Don't forget the hallways," Bennett supplied. "Both blast doors were always left wide open so it's possible someone could've concealed themselves behind them. Surveillance cameras should do the trick." Everyone nodded in agreement. He turned to look at Sam. "Suspects?"

"We've managed to narrow down the list." Sam glanced at the General. "Everyone who had access to these places from the time the first radio signal was sent through the gate up to the second one this morning."

Bennett's brows rose up at this. "We're talking about more than a dozen people here." He was likely thinking about the gate operators, the maintenance teams and the defense units that were stationed around the Stargate.

"There is also considerable reason to suspect Mr. Dubois," Sam said quietly. "He was present both times when Jonas went through the gate."

SG-11's CO blinked. "The Ambassador's aide? Last time I heard he's one of the good guys."

Daniel's had had enough. "Look, we can speculate with this all night, if you want. But can't we concentrate on more important things like locating three of our people?" No one dared refute his statement nor corrected how many of their people were _actually_ missing. "Isn't there anything we _can_ do?" he asked. "We can't just all sit here and wait. We _should_ be doing something."

"We _are_ doing something, Dr. Jackson." General Hammond gently reprimanded the archaeologist.

"Even as we speak, our people are now scouring for any clue that could lead us to the Colonel's whereabouts." Davis assured the bereft man. "Gen. Hammond had already asked assistance to our friends within the system. Likewise, Teal'c and SG-3 are determined not to return not until they've found Ambassador Quinn and Maj. Reynolds."

"What I mean is we _should_ send another team to Langara. We _should_ be out there helping to search for Jack instead of just _being_ here." he said this in a tight voice, trying to reign in his feelings of impatience and helplessness but failing miserably.

"He's right, y'know," seconded an amused voice that was coming from the open door to the hallway. "About the "sending a team to Langara" part."

All heads turned to look at the speaker. And stared. It was Daniel who found his voice first.

"_Jack?"_

"Daniel," Col. O'Neill nodded at his friend, a lopsided smile on his lips as he casually strode into the room and stood before them, both hands on his pockets. It seemed like he made a side trip to the locker room to change into BDUs.

"Sir," was all Sam could utter, mirroring the shock Daniel's face was sporting at the moment.

"Oh! Hey, Sam," Jack greeted like he'd only seen her just now. The smile never left his lips as he looked around the table. "Davis, Bennett, guys."

"Where in the hell have you been, Colonel?" Hammond demanded in way of greeting, looking at his second-in-command with displeasure. His second-in-command strutted like a man without a care in the world while the rest of them had been most worried about him.

Jack shrugged indifferently. "Bumped into an "old friend," General," was the colonel's flippant reply. He looked pointedly at Sam when he said "old friend."

The Base Commander was clearly annoyed at Jack. "Well, does this "old friend" have a name?"

Jack waved his hand dismissively. The General's brow rose at this. "I'll leave the good part til later. Right now, we need to concentrate on finding Jonas."

Sam stared wide-eyed at her CO. "Sir, how did you - ? "

"Ack!" Jack made another dismissive motion in the air. "Q&A: later. Act: now."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I would like to thank _resurgamlaura_ for taking the time to answer my question. And _matute, _I sincerely hope this will lessen the blues, even just a little. : )**

**The line thingy still isn't working!**

**20**

Major Samantha Carter was prone to biting her lower lip from time to time whenever she felt something did not sit well with her. Like now.

She regarded the back of the man she had been following ever since debriefing was hastily dismissed after Colonel O'Neill insisted to be sent to Langara pronto once he learned the gravity of the situation. Reynolds was also taken together with Jonas Quinn. Bennett was quick enough to volunteer his team to accompany him there.

With the meeting adjourned, the colonel had asked her, Daniel and Davis to keep him up to date while they walked with him back to the men's locker room in order to change into proper off world outfit.

Jack wouldn't divulge anything with regards to what happened to him or where he'd been and instead asked if there was anything else he needed to know about. He turned surprised brown eyes at Daniel when he heard about his friend's off world stint. Sam wasn't able to hear exactly what Jack said as she stopped short of entering and watched as the three men trooped inside the locker room. Based from what she could glean on her CO's sinister voice, Daniel was in for a treat.

A heated, although muffled, discussion reached her ears as she patiently waited for them out in the hallway. She couldn't help but wince every time she heard the colonel's voice, angry at Daniel for being gung-ho with the headhunter at '767, followed by muffled, incomprehensible replies from either the anthropologist or the Pentagon official.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally emerged with a scowling Jack in the lead. Daniel eyed him glumly. "You guys get to have all the fun," he pouted, "why can't I have some, too?" before trotting after Maj. Davis back to the Control Room.

"Daniel," Jack growled out warningly, eyeing the archaeologist's retreating back. He sighed and shook his head, muttering all the while about kids and not being able to leave them alone for a few hours. He then turned to another corridor, calling for Sam to follow him. As the couple marched towards the Gate Room, Jack kept on battering his second-in-command with questions that Sam readily answered.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" The major inquired moments later.

SG-1's commanding officer stepped sideways. They were now walking abreast with each other. He looked at her for a second before replying in a patronizing way, "Don't worry, Carter, I'll be back even before you get the chance to miss me."

Sam smirked. "I was talking about not bringing a second SG team with you to Langara." She looked at him sideways in return. Was that a tinge of red on the colonel's cheeks?

"Oh," He paused as he stared blankly into space.

Sam smiled, showing perfectly white teeth. "So what's the plan?"

"What?" he snapped out of whatever he was thinking. His attention fully focused on her now.

"You're going on a rescue mission," Sam reminded. "You _do_ have a plan?"

"Oh," he said, as if the very idea hadn't crossed his mind. "Well, we go in, find Jonas and Reynolds and then skedaddle it outta there."

Sam looks up askance at him, flabbergasted. _"Skedaddle?"_

"You know how I like it simple and straight to the point." Jack replied without any qualms. "What?"

Sam wasn't given a chance to say what was on her mind as they reached the Gate Room. An SF handed Jack a P-90 and proceeded to clip it securely on the clasps in front of his black flak jacket. He greeted SG-11 with a nod as they double checked their gears. He then addressed the people up at the Control Room as he made circling motions in the air with his index finger. "Dial it up, Sergeant!"

A dull thud was heard throughout, followed by a low grating sound as the Stargate's inner circle began to spin, slowly gathering speed as the first symbol tried to get a lock on the first chevron. Jack turned to look at it idly, not noticing the glances his 2IC was throwing his way. She again bit her lower lip in indecision. How the colonel knew Jonas was in trouble was a big puzzle to everyone and she wanted so much to ask him about it before they left for Langara. But he was adamant at not answering them just yet and wanted to focus his attention on the rescue mission.

"I'm sorry, sir," Sam said. "But how did you know about what happened – "

"Carter," Jack interrupted softly. "What did I tell you about asking questions?"

At this Sam bowed her fair head, attempting to hide the embarrassed smile that appeared on her lips. "Yes, sir."

"_Chevron Five encoded!"_

"Oh, and watch what you say around Rhougan Dubois," Sam imparted importantly. "He's one of the persons we suspect who sent those radio signals."

Col. O'Neill regarded his second-in-command for a few until Sam felt her cheeks growing hot.

"_Chevron Seven… locked!"_

Her commanding officer smiled knowingly at her as he puts his cap on. SG-11 began climbing the ramp. He turned to regard the men and the event horizon before looking back at her.

"What makes you say that?"

­- - - o 0 o - - -

"Colonel O'Neill,"

Jack halted at the top landing as soon as he stepped out of the Langaran Stargate. Hearing his name being called he looked down at the man standing with a group of what looked like a bunch of Kelownan dignitaries a few feet away. He was quick to stop himself from groaning out loud and instead gnashed his teeth together as his eyes narrowed. Great. Perfect timing. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse.

He had no intention of coming back here any time soon. A few years, maybe, give or take. Well, that depends if he had every intention of _ever_ coming back. Jack wasn't so thrilled at being there again and just a little over a few days after the attack at Jonas' home but it couldn't be helped.

Based from what he could glean from the people at SGC, Jonas had received a summon from the Joint Ruling Council early that morning. The kid was eager to go but Hammond wanted to wait for Jack to arrive before finalizing any decisions.

When Jonas couldn't wait any longer for Jack to arrive, he decided to dangle his Ambassadorship in front of everyone present and that really turned the tables against them. Preventing Langara's ambassador from going back to his planet was preposterous at best and exploited it to his advantage. The kid was good. Very good. Jack would give him that. Damn politicians! There were times when Jonas was just as stubborn as Daniel was and during these moments Jack badly wanted to beat some sense into him.

When Ambassador Quinn was finally allowed to leave, Rhougan Dubois went with him along with Teal'c and SG-3. Sam went further on saying that it was touch and go for a while because Jonas flatly refused being escorted so as not to ruffle any "important" feathers back on Langara for diplomacy's sake.

_Screw the feathers_, Jack thought angrily. If SG-1 hadn't escorted the young man back on his planet and Daniel wasn't carrying any weapons at all, he and Jonas would've been a pair of cute sitting ducks. Where were they when men invaded the kid's home?

What bothered Jack most was the fact that a headhunter had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, obviously targeting the Kelownan for some unspecified reason. Whenever a headhunter appeared, a Goa'uld was always behind it and never for a good reason. The headhunter that had unfortunately crossed their path on Kelowna was now part of the planet's atmosphere as Jack had no qualms vaping the guy to atoms along with his toys before running for the Stargate with Sam in his arms. That's one less bad guy to worry about.

The Air Force Colonel took his own sweet time descending the steps, his features mirroring what he was feeling at that precise moment. Bennett and SG-11 were already waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, their backs to him as all four men looked outward and alert.

"Good to see you back, Colonel," the suave-looking man said smiling as he extended a hand towards the SGC second-in-command.

That damned toothpaste smile commercial politicians had perfected all too easily, and when directed at him, simply made his skin crawl. Jack thought that there might be some secret school somewhere that offered a course on how to smile like that. He had nothing against smiles. But when a politician smiles, that's when they're at their most dangerous. Most sinister.

"What are you doing here, Donovan?" Jack asked straight to the point, his scowl more pronounced than it was a while ago, completely ignoring the proffered hand.

Earth Ambassador to Langara Dr. Bill Donovan slowly withdrew his hand from view, but his smile never wavered. "To welcome you, of course, Colonel. I was not here the last time you visited."

_Some visit it was_, thought Jack as he looked at the people around them before looking back at the politician. It was a well-known fact back at SGC that Jack had no patience for politicians and their scheming ways. And the ambassador was not excluded. Still, he learned enough from his team mates, both old and new, a thing or two about diplomacy.

Introductions were made, hands shaken, heads bowed in greeting and a smile here and there. The highest-ranking official in the Kelownan delegation was a certain Minister Desley, Kelowna's acting First Minister as Dreylock was still on her goodwill tour around Langara.

Desley was easily the shortest person in the group, plump with a receding hairline of wavy, dark brown hair. Most probably he was in his fifties. His eyes were the lightest shade of green set in a patrician face that kinda reminded Jack of those old British nobles back on Earth. Even though short of stature, Desley held one of the highest offices in the country as Kelowna's Minister of Internal Government and, Jack later learned, a staunched supporter of the head of state.

"First Minister Dreylock wishes to extend her apologies at not being able to welcome you herself as she is still in the middle of her trip." Minister Desley explained.

Jack nodded his understanding. "'Sokay," he assured, "we're not staying long anyway."

The acting First Minister simply smiled. "With that said, I shall go straight to the point. A team of the First Minister's personal guard is, as we speak, waiting for you on the surface to escort you all the way to Ynaea. From there, the Council Security shall accompany you back to the building to meet with the rest of your people."

Jack said his thanks as they exited the gate room, walking through a set of intersecting corridors that led to other areas of the complex. SG-11 opted to walk a little behind the small delegation as Jack was in front with Desley and Donovan. The colonel caught sight of the Earth Ambassador's personal aide, a frail-looking bit of a guy in his mid-thirties named Gus Saunders walking way too close on his boss' right flank. Jack read somewhere that the guy was an international relations graduate back home.

"We would have liked to send a small team of our own to help with the search but the Council decided against it to avoid any major disputes with our neighboring countries," Desley sighed wearily, as they stepped out into the sunshine. "We hope that you and your people will not meet any resistance from the Council owing to the fact that one of those kidnapped is one of yours."

"I would love to come with you, Colonel," Donovan quipped beside him. "But we still have a lot of things to do here as we are expected by the United States President to deliver a report sometime around next week."

_Yeah, right_, Jack thought wincing as he opted to look out in the horizon, looking very much like he was checking out the weather. _Since when did politicians ever expose their asses in danger? _He caught Desley's forlorn smile at Donovan who seemed oblivious of it.

The acting First Minister inclined his head at Jack as SG-11 gathered behind their commanding officer. "I hope you find them soon, Colonel." He said it with all sincerity. "Good luck."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"_It is gone!"_

"_What is?"_

"_The communications device. It must've fallen out during the scuffle – "_

Nee'chos had no intention of eavesdropping but couldn't help overhearing the conversation between the Tok'Ra and Yarek not far away.

He knew that he was entirely to blame for the loss. And he wanted to straighten it out immediately.

Darkness would be descending soon. And when it came, Nee'chos knew exactly what to do.

- - - o 0 o - - -

He started suddenly, opening wide dark green eyes as he looked about him wildly. From somewhere in the darkness a hand gripped his shoulder, halting his forward momentum.

"Easy, easy now," the voice softly said, as the same hand gently, yet firmly, pushed him back down the hard, unyielding floor. "You had quite a hard knock on the head."

The voice was hauntingly familiar and as he obediently complied. His muddled mind tried to put a face to the voice but couldn't. Groggily, Jonas Quinn peered through the semi-darkness and saw a relieved-looking Major Reynolds smiling down at him.

"Major?" was what Jonas thought he said when in truth, he was only able to mumble _"Adj?"_ as he closed his eyes again. From what little light that was afforded to him, the Tau'ri had disguised himself in clothing very similar to his. Hooded tunic and all.

"How're you feeling?" Major Reynolds asked, concerned.

_Like there's a mother ship parked right on top of my head. _"What are you doing here?" Jonas croaked instead.

"Glad to see you, too, Jonas." The officer replied cheerfully.

"I'm sorry, major," He didn't want to sound ungrateful but seeing the Air Force officer there was something Jonas wasn't expecting at all. "I was just surprised to see you here."

Reynolds snorted. "_I _was surprised when I saw you in the corridor back there," he said.

"Where are we?" Jonas had had enough of lying down and was helped sitting up. He hissed as sharp, stabbing pain went shooting up his calf. He had completely forgotten about the ankle.

"Inside one of dozens of rooms in this place." Reynolds looked at Jonas in concern, inspecting the body part that was giving the young man great discomfort.

"No. I mean, _where_ are we?"

"I think we're still in Ynaea. Barely an hour had passed from the time we got jumped upon to the time I woke up. But I don't know where or how far to the Council exactly." Reynolds replied distractedly as he gently eased the shoe and sock away from it and winced. "Looks quite nasty to me."

Jonas cleared his throat. Man, what he'd give for a glass of water! "At least, it's not broken," he reasoned in a husky voice, which was a vast improvement from croak. He looked at it critically. "Figured must've somehow twisted it after that explosion at the Council buildi – "

"What explosion?"

Jonas looked at him with one of his half-smile frowns. "There was one right before I got knocked out."

"No, there wasn't," Reynolds said as he dug into one of his flak jacket's many pockets and produced a roll of bandage. "I was there, remember? I told Teal'c and the others to wait for you out in the hallway while I gathered the rest of your things in the room. I was talking to Forster over the radio when you came in and this bear of a guy jumped behind you out of nowhere and knocked you out. Next thing I knew, we were being carried outside and you were still out cold."

Maybe what he thought he heard as an explosion was in fact his cranium getting whacked. "How were you able to escape?"

The major shook his head. "I didn't. They let me go. Or rather, dumped me inside what suspiciously looked like a garbage dumpster in an empty alleyway." Reynolds added that their abductors had initially thought of killing him but somehow something changed their minds. They took his radio but left his flak jacket untouched. Probably because there wasn't anything there that remotely looked like a weapon. "Good thing I left our GDO with Teal'c."

"So, you followed us here?" Jonas hypothesized. He watched the major busy at work on bandaging his ankle. "How did you get in?"

"Waited for the right moment. Knocked out one of the guards who, unfortunately, hadn't got a single ammo to go along with his weapon. I overheard they got you locked up somewhere in a room at one of the sub-sublevels of this place and went out to find you." Reynolds answered, grinning.

No wonder there weren't any windows. He was underground.

"How did you escaped?"

Jonas began his tale with waking up inside his holding cell up until the point where he had managed to uncover the lock mechanism.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute," Reynolds raised a hand trying to understand something. "You said there were no tools, so how come were you able to unscrew the panel?"

"Dog tags,"

"What?"

Jonas showed him. One was badly battered and broken while the other was unharmed. "Colonel O'Neill gave them to me as a going away present all those months ago. I don't know how he'll react if he sees them in their current state."

Major Reynolds looked at him with sympathy as Jonas puts them back inside his shirt.

"I know. You don't have to say it." Jonas said in resignation.

Reynolds had urged him to continue and continue Jonas did up until he got whacked in the head before Maj. Reynolds found him. Good timing, too, since he knew for certain that he was lost. Wait a minute…

"It was you?" At this, Reynolds looked up inquiringly. He had just fished out a pair of metal tacks to secure the end of the bandage firmly in place. "You whacked me on the head?"

"It was unintentional," the Tau'ri said in defense. "How was I supposed to recognize you with the get up and the pronounced limp?" Jonas chose not to answer but Reynolds could see that the Kelownan was agreeing with him. He finally straightened up and stood by the door opening it a crack to peer out into the corridor outside. "Think you can walk? We'd better go now before they find out you're gone."

Jonas moved his ankle experimentally before nodding. "Yeah, I think so. Give me a hand, will ya?"

The major went near Jonas and helped him up. It was then that their immediate problem became evident. In order for Jonas to remain upright Reynolds had to keep one arm around him while holding the only weapon they had on the other. That would make defending themselves a bit more tricky as the major would be blindsided by Jonas' limping form beside him, thereby exposing that side of the young man to the enemy. The same goes for Jonas, too.

"Ahh… this could be a problem," the Tau'ri said what they were both thinking out loud.

Jonas looked down at his bandaged ankle and then at Reynolds with child-like innocence. "Got crutches?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

The Goa'uld stumbled forward after he was shoved none too gently into the tent but caught himself in time before he embarrassed himself in front of her.

A curl of a smile appeared on her lips as she regarded the host silently. He was good-looking, tall, lean and, no doubt, sinewy. Dark golden hair covered the back of his neck and framed his aristocratic face, accentuating the color of his eyes which were twin pools of light amber. Despite his rebellious countenance, disheveled appearance and split lip, he carried himself regally. The young woman had to admit that she was impressed and mystified. All-in-all, the Goa'uld host was pleasing to the eyes.

Maya had allowed Gor'kesh to carry on with his work until the end of the day before confronting him. She already had her suspicions upon her discovery of the unknown device buried in the snow that morning but she needed tangible proof. And that proof came just over an hour ago.

"Gor'kesh, it is nice to see you again." She greeted after a while. "You must be wondering why you are here?"

When the Goa'uld remained silent, Maya leaned forward propping up her chin on one hand, palms up. The movement caused her long ebony hair to make an appearance, hiding her slim shoulders within it as her graceful limbs were crossed together loosely, very much like a child that was bored of waiting. She sat on a cushioned high-backed chair, hauntingly reminiscent to the ones the System Lords loved to use, but was scaled down to size. The artisans had fashioned it for her as ordered by their master.

Boudin's hulking figure appeared at a turn of the tent flap and just quietly stood by the entrance. The Goa'uld turned his head ever so slightly to the side, a slight frown on his forehead.

"Let me rephrase that," she said as the conversation was clearly one-sided at the moment. "Have you lost something of late?"

The prisoner sternly raised a brow, glaring defiant eyes at her. Maya sighed dramatically before nodding her head at Boudin who pulled back the heavy covering to let three more individuals in. She closely watched the Goa'uld's face as two Jaffa guards carried to her side an almost unconscious and bloody Nee'chos.

Gor'kesh's features remained neutral but his eyes and sudden rigid stance told otherwise as he stared at the Jaffa's slumped figure in front of him.

"You see," she began, standing up from her seat and casually walked towards the Goa'uld prisoner. "I found something that piqued my interest. Honestly, I do not know what it is but," she halted a few inches away and looked up haughtily at him. His eyes were now staring fixatedly at the tent wall directly in front of him. "I have every intention of finding out."

She circled slowly around the still silent man. "And then, he showed up," nodding her head towards a badly beaten Nee'chos who was staring at her with unadulterated hatred in his eyes at which she mockingly smiled at. "He was caught wandering around the refinery in the darkness, looking for something in the snow, and had him brought to me just I ordered the guards to do."

"I tried questioning the Jaffa but he feigned ignorance. I tried to be "persuasive" but he would not relent. Things would've been much easier if he only cooperated." Completing her walk around him, she dug into one of her pockets. "I only asked him if he knew what this is" – she produced the Tok'Ra communications device and brought it tantalizingly near his stoic face – "and who its owner might be."

Silence.

A deep angry growl erupted from Maya as she let fly a hand on the Goa'uld prisoner's face. The force of the slap snapped Gor'kesh's face to one side and remained there for a few seconds. Fresh blood flowed from the reopened split on his lower lip but made no move to wipe it. Flexing his jaw, he slowly turned his face around to stare down at her, his defiance never wavering.

"You know I will have my answer," she purred dangerously before crying out a command. "Jaffa!"

Boudin and the two Jaffa guards activated their staff weapons and aimed it at Nee'chos. Nee'chos sat a little straighter as far as his battered body would allow while he stared unblinkingly at Gor'kesh who seemed torn. Maya watched this silent exchange with fascination. There was something about this tableau she couldn't quite figure out.

And before the words were spoken, before they even heard it, Nee'chos slumped further in defeat, closed his eyes and guilt was clearly written all over his bruised face.

"It is mine," Gor'kesh proclaimed.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry it took me more than a month to update. I was ill and am still recovering from it. I am still coming back to the doctor for check ups. I know! I am so prone to illnesses that I think you guys may not believe me anymore. LOL! I had started work just last week, so imagine finding a ton of pending reports on my table! As for this fic, I will try to make this chapter a good one. Hope you like it!**

**O/T: Special thanks to **_**Cleo the Muse**_** – again, never in a million years had I expected something like that from someone – and to **_**matute**_** who never ceased to amaze me (you know the reason why, amiga!). To **_**Pike2**_** for her concern. Simply and extremely flattered. I might as well say thank you to a bunch of people, too, while I am at it. Whoever **_**Belle91 **_**is, thank you for the review (if only I could send you a personal thank you email, I would). To **_**memyselfandi89**_**, thank you for reviewing Search Party. Forgetful me should've sent you my thanks asap as I am wont to do. To everyone out there who are still reading this (for I may never have the chance again): thank you, thank you and thank you!**

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**21**

"Which of you is Colonel O'Neill?"

"I'm Col. O'Neill," Jack replied as he stepped in front of the copper-haired man who called out his name. He turned to the rest of his men. "This is Col. Bennett and his team, SG-11: Maj. Stokes, Lt. Cummins and Dr. Ames."

"Rhess Adok," the red-headed man introduced, "chief of Council security. This way please."

The Tau'ris followed their Ynaean escorts to their vehicles. Jack fell in step with Adok. Bennett took position on the other.

"I wish we could have met on a more pleasanter circumstance, colonel." Adok told Jack with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Where's the rest of my people?"

"They are safe, colonel, I assure you," the middle-aged man said, raising a hand in placation. "I have my best men looking after them."

Jack nodded silently. Until he sees Teal'c and SG-3 himself, he only had the word of this man to hold on to that they were indeed safe.

Adok continued on. "Forgive our late arrival. We were held up by the unusual congestion of our main thoroughfares and had to take a more circuitous route to be here."

_And I thought only us Earthlings get to use that kind of excuse_, thought Jack.

"Unusual?" inquired Bennett.

The chief of security turned his attention on the Army colonel. "There is an important nationwide annual event happening this evening. Roadblocks had been put up on those that would be used for the festivities later."

Jack didn't like the sound of that. "So you mean it would take us a while before we get to where we're going?"

"I am afraid so, colonel."

_Crap._

- - - o 0 o - - -

_Stubborn. That's what he is._

An irritated Reynolds glanced back at the man limping a few steps behind him, a determined look on his face as he tried to keep up. _Must be inherent with all members of SG-1._

Ambassador Jonas Quinn had gently refused his help, reasoning that he had managed to clamber up three flights of stairs without aid and that he could manage a few more. He further pointed out that the major needed an unobstructed view of their surroundings if they wanted not to get caught unawares by the enemy. Reynolds didn't like it but had to agree, however, grudgingly.

Everything went well for the first ten or so minutes as Reynolds led the way to the stairs he came from. Their means of escape was just a level above them. While keeping an eye out for their enemies and constantly monitoring Jonas' progress that was obviously lagging farther and farther behind him, the stairs came into view as he turned a corner.

He took a cautious peek up the floor above them. Seemed empty enough. Reynolds turned just in time to witness Jonas grimace in pain as he took a careful step with the injured ankle and it simply made the US Air Force major all that more annoyed at him.

The ambassador threw Reynolds a startled look as the Tau'ri firmly grasped the waistband of his pants and tightened the grip on his arm which was draped over the major's shoulders. He began to protest.

"Shut it, Jonas," the military man sternly said as he propelled the ambassador forward. "This isn't the time to be stubborn. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that you need help when you need one. Don't be too proud to ask." At that, the kid lapsed into silence as they ascended the stairs together.

They took a moment to catch their breaths upon reaching the top landing.

"I'm sorry, Major,"

"Forget it," Reynolds shook his head.

"No," Jonas insisted. "I do admit at being stubborn at times – "

"At times?" The officer found that hard to believe.

"Yes, _at times_." Jonas chuckled before turning all serious again. "But proud, I'm not. I just don't want to be a burden, that's all." He ended with a nervous smile, a crescent-shaped dimple making a sudden appearance on one side of his face, when the Tau'ri regarded him with surprise. "So, what is this place exactly?"

"An abandoned building of some sort inside an abandoned complex of sorts," the major replied.

"How many men in the building?" Jonas couldn't help asking.

"Fifteen, twenty … maybe more." was Reynolds' guess.

Jonas' next question was, "Got a plan on how to get out of here?"

"Through the front door," in his peripheral vision, Jonas cast him a bewildered glance. "Don't worry, there's only one person at the entrance. It'll be easy." He reassured.

"Have you heard anything else besides where to find me?"

"They were expecting someone," Reynolds said, trying to remember snippets of conversations he overheard. They stopped at a corner wall, inspecting the intersecting corridors before them. "They never mentioned any names but from what I heard, this guy's loaded and willing to pay as long as they delivered you unharmed to God knows where."

Jonas shook his head. "You should've hu – "

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Reynolds pulled him suddenly out of the hallway they had just entered and was nearly slammed against the wall beside him. Jonas opened his mouth to say something but stopped as soon as he saw the man motioned for him to be silent.

Maj. Reynolds took one cautious peek out the connecting passageway and swore.

"What?" Jonas whispered as he snaked his way around the major and saw the reason for their retreat.

Two corridors down stood a handful of armed men, more than the two of them with only one weapon could overcome. Beyond them was the door that led outside the building. Their only means of escape.

Jonas eyed the major. "One person?"

"There was only one a while ago," Reynolds swore. "That was how I was able to easily get in."

"You think they found us out?"

Reynolds shook his head thoughtfully. "They'd be running around, arming their weapons and not stand there talking to each other. No. I think out mystery guy's coming any minute now," he guessed. "That's why they're beefing up security."

The Kelownan looked back the way they came from. "This place is big. There has to be another way out of here…"

Reynolds nodded grimly. To think that there were this close… "Let's start looking."

They roamed the rest of the unexplored corridors encountering a few obstacles in their way. They nearly crossed paths with the bad guys a handful of times but they were quick to escape detection. Reynolds kept a covert eye on Jonas, concerned with the way the civilian was panting a bit and his limp more pronounced than it was a few moments ago. It looked like the ankle was hurting more than ever from continued abuse but there was nothing they could do about it for now.

Twenty minutes into the search, they found it.

Another way out.

It wasn't a door. It wasn't even a window. It was more like a huge crack on the wall. Reynolds helped the ambassador out first, hands over the weapon to him before climbing out himself.

"What's that?" Maj. Reynolds asked as soon as he was clear of it. He dusted his hands and tunic as he stood beside the younger man.

"I said you were right, major," Jonas repeated. "We are still on Ynaea. See that?" he pointed out to one of the huge squat buildings in a distance at their ten. "It's Kelownan mixed with Ynaean architecture. And there's another but with the latter's style becoming more prominent – "

"I think we can skip the Architectural Digest's special Langaran edition, Jonas." The leader of SG-3 gently interrupted. "Right now, my immediate concern is to get as far away from this place as possible." He again supported most of the younger man's weight, shuffling a bit to get his balance. "We go around front, stay as low as we can. There's a main road that leads directly to a fenced gate but we're staying off of it in case someone's watching. We'll try to go around it instead."

Jonas wasn't one to argue. "Lead the way, major."

The duo cautiously made their way around and sought shelter within the shadows of the surrounding buildings. They could see the main road to their left but, as planned, took one of the smaller paths that ran parallel to it.

"You think they'll find us?" inquired Jonas in a low voice.

"Who?"

"Teal'c and the others,"

Reynolds shook his head once. "Much as I would like to, I don't think that's possible. I do not underestimate Teal'c's tracking abilities, Jonas, but I think we're all alone on this one."

Jonas nodded in understanding.

The uneven ground significantly slowed their progress. The air was starting to become a bit chillier which prompted Reynolds to study the sky above. From the looks of it, they only had three or four more hours of light before darkness descend upon them.

Reynolds looked this way and that, not entirely letting his guard down as he led the ambassador along the path they were on. "So, Kelownan, huh?" he asked out of the blue, wanting to distract not Jonas but himself.

"Didn't join the in-house tour?" the younger man teased.

Reynolds ignored the smile directed at him. "I never did like looking like a dumb tourist."

A cross between a laugh and a cough came out of Jonas' lips at the major's remark but he halted immediately, making Reynolds' senses alert and on full swing. "You hear that?" he whispered urgently.

Reynolds stopped to listen. He stared wide hazel eyes at his companion. "Is that music?" He never would've heard of it if Jonas hadn't brought his attention to it.

"Seems to be coming from somewhere up ahead," Jonas remarked.

They looked at one another. The sound was enough incentive for them to put a little more energy in their steps. Music meant there'd be people. And people meant help. They might get out of this unscathed after all.

They finally reached the last of the structures and were now facing an open field. Twenty meters beyond that was the gate Reynolds was talking about.

"A few steps more and we're outta here, Jonas."

But Major Reynolds of SG-3 spoke too soon as a spray of bullets rained around them.

"_Shit!"_

That was the second time he swore that day.

- - - o 0 o - - -

The dark alleyway abruptly ended to a high-fenced wire that had seen better days but still sturdy enough to keep people out. Cemented path met dry-cracked earth where knee-high, pale-yellowish grasses abound and where Teal'c's keen hunter's eye caught something out of the ordinary.

"The ground has been disturbed," Teal'c gravely announced to his companion as he knelt on one knee, studying the depression – a mark of a heel most probably – in front of him. "These tracks are recent."

Beyond the gate lay an open field with the same sickly-colored grass. A couple of meters beyond stood a group of dark, forbidding structures.

"Gate's open," Rhougan Dubois calmly stated after pushing it open without difficulty, noticing the rusty chains dangling from an adjacent wire fence.

They looked at one another.

Rhougan gestured at the path before them. "After you."

Teal'c stood up, reaching for the remaining zat strapped in his thigh and handed it to the aide. "This is a zat'n'kitel. If we are separated, you will have a means of defending yourself." The man eyed the weapon on Teal'c's hand. "I will show you – "

"I will have no use for it," Rhougan softly interrupted. "There are other ways of overcoming one's enemies besides using a weapon."

Teal'c respected the Kelownan's decision, although it didn't sit well with him, and placed the weapon back in its holster. Rhougan once again gestured for Teal'c to enter the grounds before him.

They reached the structures without incident and followed the tracks as much as they could. Teal'c quickly took them off the main road, taking another path to their right that ran parallel to it as they approached the huddled group of buildings.

"The tracks went all the way through that building," the Jaffa stated, pointing at one of the smaller structures facing the main road.

"Let us go around it," Rhougan suggested. "We might be able to find another way in."

Just then a dozen men, weapons in hand, came running out the suspected building and towards the other side of the road. The two men looked at each other.

That's when they heard the first shots being fired.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Maj. Reynolds half-dragged the ambassador across the open field as another salvo of gunfire rained on them as they ran, or rather stumbled, – there was nothing for them to hide behind – towards the gate. He tightened his grip on Jonas who was now panting loudly beside him, biting his lower lip and looking at the ground in concentration, as he tried to keep pace with the major's brisk steps.

Miraculously, they reached the gate safely and as Jonas Quinn flung it wide open with his free hand, a shot hit the gate's frame inches away from his outstretched hand. He flinched, loosing his precarious balance thus causing the two of them to stumble forward and down on the ground.

Reynolds quickly made a grab for Jonas and hoisted the younger man back up. "Go!" he cried. "I'll try slowing them down." he said before returning fire for the very first time.

Jonas needed no further urging and began to limp away. The major noticed the chains nearby, returned fire once more before he began to try locking the gate.

Shots rang out but the Kelownan never broke stride nor turned to see if the major was okay. He ignored the pain and the considerable strain he was putting on his injured ankle, intent on reaching that bright light a hundred or so meters ahead. So focused was he that he never noticed the dark tunnel opening on the wall to his right.

He succeeded reaching that goal. Until he realized that he had stepped right into a very crowded flea market.

Hesitating, Jonas turned back around the alley and saw Maj. Reynolds running towards him – with a dozen or so armed men not far behind.

"Jonas, go!" cried Reynolds.

The young man plunged into the crowd, going this way and that, not really knowing where to go. He slowed his pace a bit so as not to attract any undue attention to himself.

The music they had heard earlier was coming from this place and was magnified ten times over by the overhead speakers installed outside the walls of the buildings surrounding the market. People in colorful dresses abound, all in a festive mood while little children played where they could amidst all this pandemonium. A pretty brunette cast dark blue eyes coyly at Jonas who couldn't help smiling in return. And that's when he saw it.

The crowd was quick to part to let the huge vehicle through. If the major could catch up, Jonas figured they might be able to hitch a ride back to the Council. He needed to tell Reynolds. He turned.

And that was his mistake.

- - - o 0 o - - -

The ambassador had quite a head start as Reynolds ran after him. He hoped the locked gate could buy the two of them enough time to be able to get as much distance as they could from their pursuers.

And just like Jonas Quinn before him, he never noticed the tunnel opening on the wall to his right where Teal'c and the aide Rhougan Dubois had emerged from.

He was almost at the mouth of the alley when a shot rang out behind him, making Reynolds flinch involuntarily. He turned and saw a dozen men after him. Seemed like the locked gate wasn't able to hold them longer than he expected.

He looked straight ahead and saw Jonas standing there, looking back at him. _What's he waiting for? _"Jonas, go!"

The Langaran ambassador disappeared. Reynolds reached the spot where the other man stood a while ago and understood Jonas' predicament. They were in some sort of a busy street market.

Reynolds looked around wildly, searching for some sign of the Kelownan when he saw the vehicle moving towards their general direction. If Jonas could reach it, they might be able to get a ride out of there.

He finally saw Jonas, fifteen feet away from him, also looking at the vehicle's direction and was probably thinking the same thing. The Kelownan began to turn. But something must've happened because Jonas lost his footing. He collided hard against the person nearest him, further causing him to lose his balance before staggering sideways.

And directly on the path of the oncoming vehicle.

Jonas froze.

Reynolds yelled.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: **Happy New Year! That's all I can say. : )

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**22**

"Are we there yet?"

"We're now halfway through, Colonel O'Neill," the chief of security answered over his shoulder as he kept a vigilant eye on the road and at the sea of people around them. The man was sitting beside the driver, a young man of about twenty-five years or so. "It wasn't like this a few hours ago," he added, apologetic.

Jack stamped down the urge to growl out loud but made no attempt of masking the deepening scowl he was sporting. Before they began their journey, Adok had specifically told them that they could not discuss anything pertaining to the kidnappings, which Jack understood perfectly, and that they were to be briefed fully once they reached the Council building. But the traffic was definitely testing his patience.

He had been asking that same question for nearly an hour now. The colonel knew the others might be tired of hearing it over and over but Jack was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to even care.

They were passing through another flea market – their third to be exact – and just like the others before it, the place was lively, noisy and very crowded it's a wonder that their hunk of a truck could even pass through these places with ease. Daniel would've been eager to observe the event and maybe Carter would even fancy buying a trinket or two if the circumstances were different.

He stared out the window, recalling his promise to Carter. But how could he do that when these heavily crowded markets and roundabout detours were slowing them down?

"You guys probably have quite a headache on occasions like this," He overheard Bennett say.

A smiling Rhess Adok shook his head. "Nothing we can't handle, colonel. The tourists coming here are far more interested in enjoying the festivities or buying gifts for their loved ones back home rather than picking up fights." But his visage turned grim as he went on to say, "So imagine my surprise when I have learned of the abductions that happened right inside the very building I am responsible of protecting."

No one spoke for a while. Jack wanted very much to comment but held his tongue.

"There is one particular shop in the city that people from all over Langara never failed to visit at this time of year," Adok announced, on a lighter note. "They sell a unique charm bracelet called _negaii_. Very popular and highly expensive. It protects the wearer from harm and many would attest to its potency. It is a tradition to give them to loved ones. Different colours for different people." The man turned to look at the Army officer. "You might want to check it out, sirs, or any other that may take your fancy. The Council will be happy to take care of it for you."

_Don't even think about it, _Jack thought sarcastically as Bennett threw a questioning glance his way. As soon as they meet up with Teal'c and SG-3 and were successful in locating Jonas and Reynolds' whereabouts, they were all high-tailing it out of there without looking back.

"Are we there yet?" Jack growled, impatience creeping into his voice.

Bennett sighed resignedly, shaking his golden blonde head. He was about to say something when a powerful force unseated them and threw them all violently forward.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Time seemed to have slowed for Jonas Quinn as he stared wide-eyed at the vehicle bearing down on him. It felt like everything was suddenly submerged underwater and all movements, even sound, became sluggish and heavy.

For a long while, he never knew the reason why he never felt a chill at his inevitable death when it was staring him right in the face. What Jonas felt at that moment – as a sudden gentle breeze played around him, whispering to him, ruffling his dark hair and loose clothing – was a calmness he knew not from whence it came from as he waited for the vehicle to come closer.

He knew what to do. He need not be afraid. To the casual observer, Jonas was about to do the most unimaginable thing someone in his predicament would in face of danger. He reached out with his right hand and stood his ground.

Hot metal touched warm skin as the tips of Jonas' fingers connected with the front end of the vehicle. As soon as it did, time picked up its normal pace again and before Jonas knew what was happening, the huge truck had suddenly stopped an arm's length away from him, right under his outstretched hand.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Stars danced before his eyes as pain spread out from his jaw to the rest of his face. He would've flown straight out the window if he hadn't grabbed a nearby handlebar in the nick of time. He must've hit that part of his anatomy against something hard – it was a little dark at the back to see clearly – but Jack O'Neill was more interested on what had caused their vehicle to stop like that and angrily looked out the window–

-and saw an all-too familiar pair of bottle green eyes staring wildly up at them as the person outside took an involuntary step back, a hand resting on the hood of their truck. He looked a little pale and dirty, his face smudged and his hair tousled a bit. He was wearing a tunic that the locals there favored but there was no mistaking as to his identity.

"Jonas,"

The unexpected discovery was then followed by a series of gunshots to their right. Everyone inside the vehicle ducked down reflexively as panicked shouts from the throng outside reached their ears. The ground trembled beneath their feet as people started running for safety, not wanting to get caught in the line of fire.

Remembering that the Langaran ambassador was standing out in the open unprotected, definitely the one these gun-toting men were after, Jack quickly bolted out the door to get him.

Only to find the young man nowhere in sight.

He heard Bennett call out after him but paid the SG-11 leader no heed, intent in locating the kid amidst all this commotion. The colonel took a step forward but immediately jumped back into the relative protection of the truck as shots were fired at his direction. A bullet whizzed dangerously close by, embedding itself in the wall behind him while another punctured a hole in the hood of their truck.

As Jack stared agape at the smoking hole another caught his attention. A slight depression on the hood's surface appeared where, judging by the position of the crumpled metal, Jonas' hand had lain just seconds before.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Reynolds hurriedly pulled the hoods over his and Jonas' heads as more shots rang out. Good thing he was able to pull Jonas away from there before hell broke loose. As long as he and Jonas stayed with the crowd they had a greater chance of making a clean getaway; the panicking merrymakers effectively shielding them from view.

The major handed the gun over to Jonas as he secured his grip on the young man. He tried to keep both of them from being trodden underfoot as people around them ran for their lives. He was steering Jonas into the direction of another alley a few meters ahead when they got jumped from behind.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas Quinn fell on all fours as something heavy landed on their backs causing him and Reynolds to stagger away from each other. The gun that was entrusted to him flew from his hand and out of sight.

Cursing mentally, the Kelownan quickly turned to witness the Tau'ri furiously wrestling on the ground with someone a few feet away. He looked about frantically for the weapon and so absorbed was he with his search that a kick to his midsection completely caught Jonas off guard.

Jonas fell on his side, doubling over in pain. The suddenness of the attack left him winded unable to defend himself when another blow landed on his side. Through the haze he recognized his attacker as the same man that held a gun at him while another was carrying a tray of food. Jonas caught the booted foot when it was poised to deliver another painful blow and tugged hard. The man fell on his back as the Kelownan quickly rolled away. His attempt to stand failed as the man tackled Jonas once more to the ground.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Teal'c saw his friend and commanding officer emerge from the vehicle that nearly overran Jonas Quinn only to see him duck back behind it for protection as bullets came hurtling towards him, effectively pinning Jack in his place.

He scanned the area to locate any of the men taking pot shots at Jack and saw two them scurrying away, in the general direction he had seen Jonas Quinn and Major Reynolds last.

The colonel probably saw them, too for he broke into a run after them, shooting blindly back at their attackers with the zat while Bennett and the others provided cover fire. He was about to assist them when something made him turn around. Rhougan Dubois was no longer with him. The aide was shadowing the colonel with no regard for his own personal safety and without the benefit of a weapon. He tried calling the man back but he was too far away hear.

Having no choice in the matter, the Jaffa quickly followed them.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas tried to shove the heavyset man off of him but to no avail. The two of them had entered, through a low alcove, a small enclosed space separated from the marketplace by ten feet high walls surrounding it. His attacker was hell bent on cutting off the Kelownan's air supply, feeling the man's big, fat fingers slowly crushing his throat. Jonas tried hitting him with all his might but it would seem that the man was invulnerable to pain as he continued squeezing the life out of the younger man, eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

The lack of oxygen became increasingly apparent with the appearance of spots in his vision. His situation becoming more desperate duly alarming him. Jonas knew that he only had seconds left to break free from the man's death hold on him before he succumbs to the darkness that he might never wake up from again. The very idea was as unappealing as becoming a host to a Goa'uld but no matter what he did he couldn't pry himself loose.

A sudden throb from his temples made Jonas close his eyes. Talk about timing. Here he was about to pass out from lack of air with death imminent and then this headache decided to show up now of all time. Jonas hadn't finished this line of thought when he suddenly found himself able to breathe again.

Betweem sucking in lungfuls of air and coughing harshly, Jonas tried to stand on wobbly feet, rubbing his bruised neck to stimulate circulation back to it. He stared at the man who tried to kill him lying inert on the paved ground confused.

He started when running footsteps reached his ears but quickly relaxed when he saw it was only Rhougan running towards him followed by Teal'c, a ruffled-looking Reynolds and not far behind, his eyes widening in surprise, was someone he least expected to find there. "Colonel,"

The USAF officer looked at the still form on the ground before he gave Jonas a once-over. "You all right?"

He nodded. Jonas turned his attention to Teal'c who was bent beside the still form checking for a pulse.

"He is merely unconscious," was the Jaffa's quip reply that deepened the frown on Jonas' face.

"I don't understand," Jonas mumbled, very much troubled. "I didn't do anything. He had me and then… he let go."

The others could only look at him in confusion.

- - - o 0 o - - -

He stopped in front of his fifth display case and studied it with a critical eye as he had done with four others. He had to admit, the contents on each were as interesting as the last one but Jack wouldn't want anyone to notice his preoccupation with the things so he tried his best to appear indifferent in case someone might be watching him closely.

By the time they arrived at the Kelownan facility that housed the Langaran Stargate, Jack's hope of leaving ASAP were dashed at the sight of Acting First Minister Desley and his entourage of advisers wanting to have a word with their representative to Earth.

The closed door meeting took a full thirty minutes and just when Jack was about to give in to impatience, a grim-looking Jonas Quinn emerged with his aide in tow. Desley had informed them that the men they had captured had all been found dead inside the vehicle that were to transport them into a nearby jail to awai interrogation.

Jack's impatience turned into frustration at the news. It was clear that whoever hired them wanted to remain incognito and was very much capable of cold-blooded murder. And that led them back to square one. They could've just left then and there but Jonas insisted on waiting for Prof. Vinril who was on his way there.

And so, there they were, still in Kelowna and Jack's patience was growing thin. They had been held up for almost an hour now the others back at SGC might be wondering what was taking them so long. In order to keep his temper in check, Jack had to keep himself distracted while they were waiting and that's when he decided on looking around.

There were at least a dozen of these six-foot high, three-foot wide glass cases around the cavernous room. They weren't there when Anubis invaded Langara and the USAF officer hardly gave them notice until now. A few more lined the hallways outside but the colonel was content on where he was. Besides, they had a charge to take of. He made it crystal clear to Jonas that if he got more than twenty feet away from them, the kid was going to find himself being dragged back to Earth without any warning at all.

To Jack O'Neill's point of view, the place looked more like a museum than a fully functional gate room. Kelownans had a knack for drama, he'd give them that. Whoever did the interior designing of this place was more inclined on showing off – there was little space left for people to maneuver around in case of an attack coming from the gate – like that alone could stop an invasion dead on its tracks.

So far, Jack could tell that they contained numerous photographs of the artifacts uncovered in the temple of Thanos, the Goa'uld System Lord that once ruled the planet. The items were stashed all together in a vast warehouse not far away for safe keeping. Among those photographed were various kinds of Goa'uld weaponry: zats, staff weapons, a pain stick (he never did like being poked with those things), shock grenades and more. He wondered if any of them were still functioning after more than two thousand years of dormancy.

There were also photographs of the men and women who worked on the project since Dr. Quinn, Jonas' father had discovered the planet's Stargate seventeen years ago.

Jack does admit that his grasp of the Kelownan language was rudimentary compared to Daniel's but he knew just about enough to read a word or two. He never told anyone about it simply because there was no point in telling it at all. And so to while away the time, Jack employed what little he knew of it and read the captions below each pictures as a means of distracting himself. And he had another reason. He thought that since he was there why not look for Jonas' dad curious as to what the kid's old man looked like.

And when Jack did, the discovery took him by surprise. He hadn't paid the dark, tear-shaped object about the size of his palm laying beside the photograph any attention. For all he knew, it might just be a Goa'uld paperweight the scientist was fond of.

Jack gave the photograph a long hard look before once again leaning forward, squinting his honey brown eyes to read the small label beneath it a second and a third time. Thinking that maybe he made a mistake somewhere. He even called a young man over to confirm it for him before Jack was finally convinced that it was the real deal.

Oh, it was Jonas' father all right. There was no mistaking the resemblance father and son had. There was only one Dr. Quinn that founded the project. One Dr. Quinn that discovered and led the entire excavation team into the buried temple of Thanos. One Dr. Quinn that watched over the project until his death all those years ago. And his name was Dr. Enosh Quinn.

_What the hell?_

The colonel straightened up and scanned the area for Jonas. He demanded an explanation from him and he wanted it _now_. He'd wrung it out of the kid if he had to. A hundred questions raced in his mind. Why hadn't he told them? What was Jonas hiding?

"You are simply being too obvious, colonel," Rhougan Dubois began in that grave voice of his but without the derogatory mockery in them. "People around here might think that you are simply too overprotective of _our_ ambassador. That you do not trust them of his safety." Indicating the people in the room with a sweep of his eye.

"Not my problem," Jack gruffly replied as he finally spotted the young man watching a group of scientist working around a table in fascination. He wasn't in the mood for a verbal clash with the aide right now.

But the aide remained undaunted as he continued. "You are forgetting, colonel, that Ambassador Quinn is no longer a member of your team, therefore, no longer your responsibility. We are grateful that you had given him a place to stay during his year of exile but that is all in the past now. It is time to move on – to relinquish that control and let others who are more than capable to handle it. Jonas Quinn is Kelownan. He belongs here with his people and I will see to it that here he shall remain as I had promised his father. No matter what."

Jack looked livid. He was about to give the aide a piece of his mind when the entrance to the gate room opened with a loud bang and in came Prof. Vinril looking wildly about. Instant relief flooded the elderly man's features when he saw the subject of his search a few meters away. He eagerly hobbled towards him. "Ambassador! Amabassador, I am so glad to see that you are safe."

He hugged a flustered-looking Jonas Quinn as he approached, thumping the young man in the back with unbridled glee. Until he turned at Jack's direction.

"Y-you!" The professor bellowed, brandishing his walking stick in the air. "You have the audacity to show your face here! You _traitor_!"


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: My humblest of apologies if it has taken me a while to post a new chapter. I recently quit my job but, fortunately, found a better one a few weeks ago. I am still trying to figure my way around my new environment. The last two months had been a major transition period for me and also birthdays abound in my family: my mom (Jan. 1st), my aunt Murdoch (Jan. 18th) – I call her that because she and I had been literally fighting over the control of the tv remote every Saturday night many years ago when MacGyver was still being aired and continued to be so every time her soap time clashes with mine which are mostly sci-fis. To my late grandpa (Jan. 19th), may he R.I.P. And also to my only godchild, Karl who just turned five (Feb. 22nd). Special mention to Mr. Richard Dean Anderson is in order. He celebrated his fifty-seventh year last January 23rd! Happy Birthday to you all! XD**

**Oh, and also a hundred times thank you to those who continue to stick around – and hopefully - patient enough to wait for the ending. XD**

**Chapter Spoiler: **_Meridian_

* * *

"_It is truth. But truth is not always it appears." -_ Constable Ichabod Crane, _"Sleepy Hollow" (1999)_

**

* * *

23**

Anise, the Tok'Ra scientist, stopped what she was doing as soon as she heard a cry coming from the forward section of the cargo ship and quickly rose. Alarm bells were ringing in her head as she ran to where her two companions were busy behind the ship controls.

"It just dropped out of hyperspace," Inares, who was at the helm, said as soon as he detected Anise's presence standing behind him. "I immediately went into cloak before it could completely come through."

She looked out, past the grey-yellowish planet that filled most of their view port, and into open space – or what little they could see of it – in the direction Inares was pointing at. An al'kesh entered orbit at a neighboring planet. There was a great distance between the two that the other vessel appeared only as a minute speck to Anise. She wouldn't have found it if not for the light reflecting on its hull. "Goa'uld?"

"It is difficult to say," Inares replied tightly. His eyes, a deep shade of indigo, narrowed visibly as his long, delicate hands manipulated the flight control thus slightly changing course. They edged closer to the planet they were orbiting.

Their third companion, Banos, was not taking any chances. He had finished charging their weapons and trained them on the other ship. Wary azure eyes never left the tiny inert blip on their radar screen as his large fingers began quick work on their flight plan in case they needed to make a quick getaway.

If they were indeed Goa'uld, chances are, a mother ship was not far behind. "Do you think they detected us?"

Again, Inares shrugged his slim shoulders. "There's a lot of interference to say anything for certain."

"What are they doing here?" Banos wondered, glancing at the others. "This is not Goa'uld space. This system is worthless to them."

Good question. For one, the system's eight planets were all inhospitable to humans and Goa'uld alike. Their atmospheres toxic and their weathers extreme. Those were some of the reasons why Anise chose this place to test her theories. But the sudden appearance of the al'kesh was enough indication to put her test on hold until the other vessel was gone from there.

Silence followed Banos' remarks. All three watched their radar screen for a while waiting for whatever the other ship would do.

Inares combed his ash blond head with his hand. "They are just sitting there, doing nothing. Maybe they dropped out of hyperspace to make repairs?" He suggested.

Anise' brows furrowed. She puckered her lips as she stared out the view port. If they only knew who were those aboard on the other vessel...

"Watch that ship," Anise said. "Call me if there are any changes at all," and went back to the rear compartment to finish what she was working on.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Can somebody please tell me what is going on?"

Jonas Quinn eyed both men on either side of the table in confusion. He turned to Jack for guidance, no doubt hoping that he might be able to shed some light as to what had just happened out there a minute ago. But the colonel was just as baffled as he was. Teal'c wasn't much of a help either.

When the professor bellowed out in rage Jack thought that the older man's anger was directed at him and that completely caught him off guard. He was about to say something in defense to himself when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. For a moment, Jack had completely forgotten about Rhougan Dubois standing beside him and as he looked at the aide and then back at the advancing man, Jack quickly realized with relief that he wasn't the one being yelled at.

"Ask _him_!" Vinril angrily said, pointing an accusing finger at the aide. "He knows what I'm talking about."

Jack watched for any sudden movement the elderly scientist might do. Vinril might attempt to take another swing at the aide with his walking stick like he almost did in the Gate room if Jack hadn't interfered the way he did. To settle the matter out Jonas, with the professor straining against him, decided on steering both men inside what seemed to be a small briefing room across the hallway with him and Teal'c following closely behind.

Rhougan seemed quite taken aback as understanding dawned on him. "Are you suggesting, professor, that I had something to do with this?"

"You want Jonas to fail as much as they do. And when you couldn't get your hands on the satellite, you went after Jonas – "

Rhougan chuckled, his cat-like eyes filled with mirth. Looks like the guy found the accusation absurd.

"I maybe old but I am most certainly _not_ senile!" Vinril could no longer keep his temper in check upon seeing the other man's unexpected reaction. "You are in league with them," he spat, "just like before!"

All eyes turned at Rhougan's direction in unison. Jack figured that if the man knew what Vinril was talking about he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

"You've kept Jonas in the dark for years because you don't want him to find out the truth. Truth that, for certain, will destroy you. Truth of what you really are." – Vinril leaned forward, closing the distance between him and Rhougan by only an arm's length – "Truth of what you did when you thought no one was looking."

A dark forbidding look swept the aide's usually impassive aristocratic face as he continued to stare at the old man. "What happened then had nothing to do with what has been happening now."

"Nothing!" Vinril roared. He looked like he was about to rupture a blood vessel any moment now. "It had everything to do with the present, Dubois. Or maybe you weren't looking that too far ahead when you decided on turning against the son of your own friend?"

"It is a matter not open for discussion," Rhougan Dubois said harshly and with finality. There was a hint of warning into it that Jack could very well detect except that the professor hardly gave it notice as he went on.

"He was the one responsible for your exile, Jonas." Vinril declared, his baritone voice raising a notch higher as he turned a scathing glare at the aide. "Rhougan Dubois was the one that betrayed you to your enemies."

Jack blinked in surprise. He exchanged glances with Teal'c standing by the door. Jonas turned uncertain wide green eyes at him. "Rhougan?"

"If it wasn't for your meddling, Jonas wouldn't have been forced to leave his home. Did you know, colonel," – Vinril addressed Jack – "that Jonas Quinn had every intention of returning to Kelowna after visiting Earth almost two years ago?"

Shock ran like current inside the cramped room at the revelation. Jack was simply dumbstruck. Teal'c stared at the Kelownan aide with an expression akin to disbelief.

"After you had that talk with Jonas, colonel, he came to Dubois, Dr. Keiran and me. He told us of his plans to divulge the truth to our government to clear Dr. Jackson's name. We could certainly understand that, believe me. But when he said that he was going to visit Earth immediately after his disclosure to tell you that your pleas hadn't fallen on deaf ears, we lost it."

Jonas involuntarily winced at the point. "Timing was crucial," he explained. "Once word got out of what I did, there's a pretty good chance that our government would severe all connections with Earth."

"We tried to reason with him. To dissuade him from taking that course of action. We kept telling Jonas that there was another way to do this. Something like this would certainly ruin him – "

"It was already ruined when I let Dr. Jackson take the fall in the first place," Jonas interrupted softly. Jack regarded him quizzically. Like the kid wanted to add something to what was already said but suddenly decided not to.

However, Vinril continued as if he never heard him. "The ambassador wouldn't listen to a word we say. He was willing to risk his life because he believed everything that you told him. Most especially about harnessing the power of the naquadria for these defense shields that you were talking about." Vinril sighed sadly. "He made a lot of very powerful enemies that day."

"It was unavoidable," Jonas reasoned.

"What he was planning to do next was to slip out and back through the Stargate unnoticed. A few minutes was all Jonas needed to see how your friend was doing. But he wouldn't let us help him."

"I don't want you to get involved," Jonas explained in a whisper. "I just can't live with myself if something happens to any of you because of me."

Vinril stepped up to Jonas. "We were willing to take the risk – "

"I'm not," the kid countered with conviction.

"So what's Dubois got to do with any of this?" Jack suddenly asked, shattering the tension between the two Kelownans who looked at him in unison.

The aged man's animosity returned tenfold at the mention of the aide's name. "He was also against it. It was understandable. But we never thought that it would come to a point where he would betray Jonas' plans to our government."

"_What?"_ Jack did a double take as he exclaimed his shock at what Vinril told them. Honey brown eyes the size of golf balls stared at Rhougan who was staring at Jonas with an indescribable look on his face.

The professor tapped his walking stick on the floor, impatient to continue on with his tale. "I just couldn't sit still and pretend that nothing was happening. I was not a member of our Stargate project so I have no access to the facility. However, Keiran was so I convinced him to help Jonas make his plan of using the Stargate work. I left him to notify Dubois about it only to find out that he already had a plan of his own."

"I was furious. I wanted to expose him right then and there but what stopped me was my fear for the ambassador's safety. The emergency meeting with the High Minister was to start in a few moments and, already, there were guards stationed at every entrance waiting for Jonas so that they could ship him to jail for high treason before he could execute his plan."

"I managed to find Jonas and warn him about the plot against him. I hadn't been able to tell Jonas exactly how I knew it because we were running out of time. We left the building without rising any unwanted attention, leaving a full report of the naquadria incident in the hands of a trusted friend who would deliver it straight to High Minister Velise and went directly here."

"We slipped into the facility through an open loading dock at the back that Keiran had opened beforehand and found no one about. There was a naquadria alert in progress and all personnel ran out the building for safety except for the person who made the announcement." At this point, Vinril let out a hearty chuckle as he recalled something amusing from memory.

"Keiran was waiting for us with a small amount of naquadria encased in a specialized container. He gave it to Jonas with a warning to never come back unless it was safe for him to return. It was the only way he could think of that would insure Jonas' safe passage through your Stargate. We could only hope that you would not prejudge him for what our government had done to your friend."

There was something Jack wanted to know. "But no one dialed through,"

"Keiran "misplaced" Earth's Gate coordinates," Vinril replied, chuckling. "By the time our people finally figured them out correctly, an entire week had passed and thought it useless to try and contact you. The damage was done, so to speak."

The silence that ensued was deadening, suffocating, as four pairs of eyes stared at Rhougan's inscrutable face.

"Why?" Jonas asked in a broken voice. His face was pallid and his body rigid as he continued studying the face of someone that he thought he knew.

It was a lot to take in for the kid Jack knew. To be fed to the wolves by the very person that you had grown up with and who also became your guardian after your father's passing. It was shattering.

"It was best for all concerned," Rhougan answered quietly in that grave voice of his.

"Best!" Vinril exclaimed, laughing derisively as he waved a dismissive hand at the aide's way. "Bah! Save your twisted reasoning to someone who is willing to listen, Dubois. As you can see, I am not as gullible as Dreylock. If I was the wiser, I should've told the ambassador everything the day he returned from Earth. But my cowardice had prevented me then. I thought, "He had suffered enough as it is, why add to it?"

Jonas closed the distance between him and Rhougan. "You knew I had every intention of coming back – "

"I do," Rhougan quickly cuts in, nodding his head for emphasis.

"You knew I was willing to take the risk," Jonas flushed profusely.

Rhougan said nothing.

Jonas looked hurt. "You don't trust me,"

"It is _them_ I do not trust!" The aide finally lashed out, eyes narrowing in contempt as he glared at Jack. "We have no way of knowing what they would do to you once you were there. They might not allow you to safely return to us and hold you against your will. Or worse, you might become their bargaining chip so as to get hold of the naquadria."

"You don't know that," Jonas argued heatedly.

"So did you," Rhougan answered back, looking down at the pair of dark green eyes that were full of pain and anger. "I was only looking after your safety, _netcheset_." The last word was spoken out softly.

Jack heard the young man growl as he walked away from Rhougan and, turning his back to all of them, faced the wall with his head hanging low on his shoulders.

"You made Jonas believe that you're his friend, that you're concerned for his safety. When it is from you he should be protected from!" Vinril angrily tapped his walking stick on the floor.

"I had to keep you safe as I had promised your father I would." Rhougan told Jonas, completely ignoring Vinril, in a gentle voice like he was pleading for Jonas' understanding. "And I will never break that promise."

Jack recalled what the aide had said earlier at the Gate room. "No matter what, right?" and returned the withering glare that Rhougan Dubois threw his way.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"They're deploying something,"

She reached the bridge in a second and quickly looked out the view port. They had been monitoring the craft for more than an hour now but the only thing it did was adjust its position from time to time above the planet it was orbiting.

It seemed harmless, floating above one huge continent that covered half of the entire planet, doing nothing. Maybe Inares was right. Maybe they were having problems and just needed a place to do the repairs before continuing on their way. But something doesn't add right in this scenario. Anise wasn't sure what it is but it kept nagging at her. Like wild current running up and down her spine.

Long story short, she didn't like it. No. She didn't like it at all.

"What are those?" Inares whispered. Their radar detected a dozen smaller blips moving away from the unknown ship and were now entering the topmost atmosphere of the planet. They gradually picked up speed as gravity began pulling them planetward.

"It doesn't fit any of the standard Goa'uld technology or weapons," Banos' heavy brows met in the middle of his forehead. He stared hard at the moving objects. "They are too small."

"Look!" Inares said, pointing out the view port.

Anise quickly looked up and saw a blur that was the Goa'uld bomber as it entered hyperspace and was gone. She exchanged glances with Inares while Banos continued tracking the descent of the twelve blips.

What happened next took them all by surprise. Bright light coming from the planet the ship had been orbiting exploded seconds after it left. Replaced by, what appeared to be, the beginnings of a continent-wide conflagration.

The suddenness of it all surprised and left the three of them speechless. There was nothing they could do but watch as fire already began engulfing a fourth of the planet's northern hemisphere.

The Tok'Ra had no idea of what they had just witnessed and as to what kind of weapon was used to cause such a planet-wide destruction. But Anise was certain of one thing: if this weapon happened to be in the hands of a System Lord, she was looking at a complete and total annihilation of all those who oppose the Goa'uld.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Stargate's new site is up and running! Go ahead and check it! Yey! For the love of everything Stargate!**

**Chapter Spoiler: **Stargate the Movie, Smoke & Mirrors

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_"Common sense is the knack for seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done"_

_- _Harriet Beecher Stowe

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**24**

In all his years in the service, Major General George Hammond of the United States Air Force could say that there was nothing as equally exciting, or as equally draining, as taking charge of Stargate Command, one of the country's top-secret bases, which the Military has appropriately designated as Area 52.

When it was first offered to him, Hammond thought that it was another desk job where he could count off the days until his retirement. But what he never counted on was the possibility of meeting the most eclectic group of people he would ever encounter in his tour of duty.

At first he couldn't believe what he heard during the briefing about the nature of the entire program located deep within the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain: it was, primarily, a civilian project headed then by a civilian named Catherine Langford which was secretly funded by the United States government under the supervision of General West, now retired.

Hammond stood in parade rest as he looked down the silent Stargate from the view port in the briefing room connected to his office. For the past seven years, the circle behemoth had continued to instill awe and fear in him. And for the past seven years, Hammond had played a dangerous game of tug-of-war with the Ancient Gate for the safety of each of his people coming through it.

The general wished that he was there, all those years ago, to witness the horrified looks on the men's faces when a seemingly harmless-looking enough bespectacled young man by the name of Dr. Daniel Jackson, aided by a seemingly harmless-looking enough board eraser, enthusiastically turned years of hard work into chalk dust. These the young anthropologist began replacing with translations of his own without as much as of a trace of hesitation on his naïve handsome face.

A smile of amusement crept in the corners of the general's thin lips as he remembered reading the different complaints filed by the scientists on the project against Daniel, who correctly translated the name of the thousands ton Ancient device. Stargate. Hammond knew that, without a doubt, jaws dropped that day at Daniel's auda–

"_Unscheduled off world activation!"_

The smile instantly died on his lips. His stern look of command took over as he turned his back to the view port and went down the stairs to the control room below.

The iris was halfway opened by the time the base commander reached Sgt. Harriman who immediately informed him that they had just received Col. O'Neill's IDC. There were no blue or red codes that usually followed his transmission. That alone was a very good omen.

Hammond briefly nodded at the chief of Gate operations before he strode out of the control room and into the Gate room.

_About time!_ He thought both impatient and relieved as he stood at the end of the ramp. He smartly clasped his hands behind him, thought otherwise and just let them hang limp on his side. What happened next became a blur to the general.

Jonas Quinn was tearing down the ramp, his usually expressive face now inscrutable. He merely nodded grimly at Hammond who noticed a definite limp on his stride but before he could inquire about it the Kelownan disappeared out of sight through one of the blast doors.

Next followed SG-3's commander, Maj. Reynolds who saluted the general before following the Langaran ambassador out of the Gate room. The major didn't say anything but from what Hammond could glean from the man's face, something unpleasant seemed to have happened back on Langara that Reynolds was not inclined to say.

He was followed through the Gate by his team, then Bennett and SG-11. Teal'c and Col. O'Neill came in last.

"What happened?" Hammond asked his 2IC, pointing at the open blast door Jonas had just gone through.

"Jack,"

They turned and saw Sam and Daniel walking towards them, a little out of breath. They must've been somewhere else when the Gate klaxon rang and sprinted their way there.

"Where's Jonas?" inquired Sam.

Jack frowned a bit as he looked at the blast door that Jonas had exited from before turning back to them. "On his way to see Janet," he replied. "I think."

Hammond noticed something else as the wormhole disengaged. "And where is Mr. Dubois?"

"General," Jack began, dogging the general's question. "A word?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Barrett," Daniel quirked a brow as he looked at Jack from above the rim of his glasses. "The N.I.D. Agent guy? _That_ Barrett?"

"Do you know of any other Barretts?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"My landlady," the archaeologist automatically replied which earned him a scathing glare from Jack whose right eye twitched in annoyance.

"What do they want, sir?" Sam asked, impatient for the colonel to continue. Jack turned seriously grave, his annoyance at his friend quickly forgotten as he remembered the reason why he called them all here before the actual debriefing starts.

"He wanted to alert us to the presence of a spy within SGC," he let the words sink in, looking around the faces before him. "Someone who's in cahoots with a bunch of rogue NID agents they've been trying to track down for some months now."

Shocked silence greeted his announcement, which was good in Jack's point of view. So he took the opportunity to continue on before they start barraging him with questions before he could get to the best part.

"According to Agent Barrett, their agency had stumbled upon it by chance when they apprehended one of these rogues on an entrapment operation. They also found documents pertaining to the infiltration of this base by one of their own, primarily, to gather data." Jack took out two blue folders tucked under his arm and handed both of them to Daniel next to him. Daniel accepted it and gave the topmost folder over to Sam. Major Davis huddled closer to her for a look-see.

Daniel curiously looked up from his examination of the first page to Jack. "Primarily?"

"Uh-huh," the colonel nodded. "His second objective was to recruit some of our men over to them. If they could."

The others exchanged uncertain glances. Daniel briefly looked around before diving back to the documents he was reading, his frown getting deeper by the second. Sam found something in her papers worth noting.

"This document dates back to almost five months!" Her eyes bore into Jack's as she continued, "and we never got a whiff of it."

Maj. Paul Davis had a follow-up question. "How long ago has the NID found out about this?"

"Uh," Jack winced, trying to stall. He rubbed the tight muscles at the back of his neck with his right hand as he thought of how best to answer Davis' question but came up with nothing. "A little less than three months."

Baby blue eyes the size of saucer plates stared incredulous at Jack. Sam's eyes were so expressive that it doesn't take a scientist to know that she was, quite simply, dumbfounded.

"_What!"_ Hammond wasn't as subtle as the major was, though.

Jack raised an index finger to emphasize his agreement with his commanding officer. "My thoughts exactly, sir!"

"All this time they knew and they still opted to take us out of the loop," Sam was clearly miffed at being taken out of the equation.

"Well, it is an NID operation, major," Davis said thoughtfully. "So technically, their agency has the right to share or withhold any information to the other parties involved as they see fit."

"But by withholding information from us," the deep timbre of Teal'c's voice reverberated in the small room as he finally decided on breaking his silence, "they are putting the lives of the people at Stargate Command in grave danger."

"I guess their hell-bent determination of purging their ranks of these men made them blind to such things as territoriality and everything that goes with it." Davis tried to look at every angle imaginable and tried to bring rationality into it.

Sam had another question she wanted answered. "But what I don't understand is, why tell us now? I mean, we've been in ignorant bliss these past five months… what made them change their minds?"

"They didn't," the colonel answered quietly. "The "leaving us ignorant of what's going on" still stands. The NID thought it best to round up the operation outside SGC before letting us in on the secret to make us look a bunch of fools."

Sam blinked. "Well, that's not a wise move," she said.

"It's pride, if you ask me," Jack grunted, rubbing his face in a resigned way. "We've been busting their chops for years they look like fools beside us. They want the prize _and_ the praise all to themselves."

"So you're saying, colonel," Hammond faced the colonel, "that it was Agent Barrett's own prerogative to alert us of this inner threat?" Jack nodded. "Why?" he asked.

Jack crossed his arms across his chest as he half-sat, half-leaned back on the edge of Gen. Hammond's huge, polished oak wood desk and cocked his head to one side as he curiously studied his 2IC's elfin face. "Well, Agent Barrett said he doesn't want what little trust between the NID and SGC has be broken because of this little incident."

Sam averted her eyes as a slight reddening of her face began to appear under the colonel's bemused regard.

But Hammond still wasn't finished interviewing his second. "And this agent flew all the way here from Washington just to tell you that?"

"I was just the side trip," Jack replied, shaking his head. He finally tore his eyes away from her. "A group of them's in town following up on a lead to the whereabouts of one of the rogue agents involved in this operation. Possibly the middle man between their guy here and the rest of them out there."

"Were they successful in apprehending the man they were looking for, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.

"Oh, yeah," the colonel answered. "I was there. And like the rest his cohorts that the NID caught, he doesn't know the real identity of their man here. Only a code name: SPARROW."

"And you believed him, sir?" asked Davis.

"Threatened the guy with a snake for a roommate," Jack tapped an index finger on the side of his head. "The guy really had no idea. It was something the NID wasn't counting on." When no one said anything, Jack continued. "Some of the communiqués they've managed to get hold of troubled Barrett's bosses."

"And why is that?" Hammond asked.

"Some of the communiqués they've managed to intercept through the months troubled them NIDs."

"Potential weapon," Daniel mumbled almost to himself, quoting a phrase from a document he was intently reading. Everyone turned to look at the archaeologist in surprise except for Jack who merely shuffled his weight from one foot to the other.

"Barrett asked me straight out if we're developing some sort of weapon that might interest these people. I told them _we_ don't have one." Jack said. He then nodded at the thick folder in Daniel's hands. "Take a look at the dates. Any of it ring any bells?"

"Unable to acquire key data," Sam read. "This message was dated a day after we returned from Kelowna." She looked aghast at her commanding officer, finally realizing what he meant.

"You're right, Sam," Daniel seconded. "And if my guess is correct, the potential weapon they're talking about here could only be – "

Teal'c beat Daniel to it. "The _Enosh,_"

Ear-splitting silence permeated the air around them. Davis borrowed the file from Daniel.

Sam cursed softly. "But how could they possibly know about the satellite's existence? We never mentioned it in any of our reports because it's not, in any way, Stargate-related."

"They don't," assured Jack, "and they still have no idea. Not after letting us go on without alerting us of this spy on the base." And because of which that they were on this very mess in the first place. "I merely overheard what you guys were talking about as I was about to make my grand entrance. That's how I put two and two together."

Major Davis found something of interest. "Based from these documents, the last two months were solely focused on gathering data about the _Enosh_ – "

"Though, not properly named," Daniel interjected.

" – possibilities of usage – "

"With these guys," it was Jack who butted in, "anything is possible."

Davis continued on. "The procurement of the satellite's schematics – "

"Which somebody else now has if the "unable to acquire key data" is anything to go by," Daniel said.

Jack nodded solemnly beside the younger man in agreement. "Wrecked a very nice house, too, if you ask me."

Davis looks at the two men before reading one more document. "And a plan of getting a hold of someone working on the project."

"No bet, starting with Jonas," Daniel suggested. "He's the one that has come up with the idea of building one."

"Not to mention that some crazy Goa'uld's after the kid for some unspecified reason," Jack added.

"Shouldn't they be going after the scientists working on the _Enosh_ instead?" questioned Davis.

"They should," Sam said thoughtfully, "that's if it's only the satellite they're after."

"If these men were indeed the ones behind Ambassador Quinn and Maj. Reynolds' kidnappings," Hammond began, "they must have someone working for them on Kelowna."

"A rogue also working undercover. Possibly a member of Ambassador Donovan's staff." Jackson hypothesized.

"We're not sure what part this other agent plays on Kelowna. He or she may just be receiving and giving out orders and not participating at all," Jack explained. "The two groups the local police apprehended were all Langarans."

Hammond wanted that clarified. "When you mean Langaran, colonel – "

"Andariis, Kelownans, Terranians," Jack enumerated. "A few other nationalities we never knew existed. Call it a "joint project."

Teal'c once again spoke up. "Their agent in Kelowna must be exerting a great deal influence to be able to mobilize such groups of men from different origins and unite them under one goal."

"It's obvious who it is," Jack said, a bit irate at all of them for pretending not to know. "Donovan. He's cozy with those folks on Langara. Give me the creeps." Shivered a bit.

"They can't get close to the Langaran ambassador here on Earth. It would be suicide to try it," Davis said in reflection. "The rogues have a much better chance of success at Langara."

"But that doesn't mean that they wouldn't try it if that's the only course of action they have left," Sam countered.

"If they're that desperate," Davis said.

"Great!" Daniel blurted in monotones. For one, Daniel seems not to like their discussion at all. "Not only are headhunters and criminals for hire after him. Rogue NIDs wants to join the fray now. Jonas is gonna _love _this!"

The general turned his attention to Sam. "Have you found any more of these transmissions, major?"

Sam shook her head in a frustrated sort of way. "No, sir. Sgt. Harriman and a few of the Gate operators are helping me with it. We pushed back our search to include the arrival of the first Langaran ambassador – which, I find very odd."

Jack was completely and totally in agreement with his 2IC. "Yeah, he was wasn't he?" He said, nodding his head slowly, reminiscing. "Always hung about the hallways. Doesn't take "no" for an answer. Wanted to be in on everything… a real pain in the a…"

"Colonel," Gen. Hammond growled low.

As if in a trance, Jack suddenly snapped out of it and looked quizzically at the general who pointedly looked at Sam. At once, he got his CO's meaning and had a funny look on his face as he tried to subtly save face. "Ah, yes, you were saying, major?"

Sam tossed a wry smile at him before continuing on. "For the rogues here on Earth to learn about the existence of the _Enosh_, their contact off world should have sent them a message of his own. And the only way to do that and for Sparrow to receive it, is through the Stargate. But her never did, as far as I know."

"Maybe he did," Daniel rubbed his stubbled jaw in contemplation. "I mean, why risk sending a message through and risk exposure to oneself when you could always report to them personally?"

Davis was quick to agree. "And there's a very short list of civilians that has easy access to the Stargate, excluding Ambassador Quinn, his aide and SGC personnel."

"My money's on Donovan," Jack seriously said.

"We'll deal with the ambassador and his people later. Right now, I want to find out who this Sparrow, how much information he had supplied these men and, most importantly, I want him out of my base ASAP," the base commander said, his tone bristling in controlled anger. "The sooner we weed him out the better."

Everyone nodded their heads at this.

"Now, tell me," Hammond asked another question that he knew would have a very long answer, "what happened to Mr. Dubois?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Colonel,"

Jack whirled around as soon as he was clear of the main hallway. He cocked his head to one side as he addressed the figure briskly walking towards him.

"Major," he greeted blandly, looking around to see if there was anyone within earshot. He slowed his pace a bit so that she could easily catch up with him. "Debriefing's over. Janet'll freak out if she finds that you're still here." It was... what? Almost close to nine-thirty in the evening?

"I know, sir." Sam quickly nodded, smiling her thanks for his hindsight. That smile always made the colonel wary. "Are you going to see Jonas?"

"No," Jack answered lazily. "It only takes my shadow to grace the halls of the infirmary enough to get Janet all worked up. She'd be shooing me away before I could even get the chance to say a word." And he bet that whatever Sam wanted to ask him was not, in any way, related to the kid at all.

The major cleared her throat as quietly as she could, as if she was afraid of disturbing the dust in the corridor. More quietly so when she finally asked, "So, how's Barrett?"

And how he hated it whenever he was right.

"He's good," Jack raised a questioning brow as he turned ever so slowly at Sam. "Why?"

"Well, it's been months since we last heard from him since that fiasco over the mimic devices," Sam quickly explained under his perusal. "Aren't you a bit curious as to what happened to him after?"

"No," Jack simply said. He waited for her to say something else but she didn't. In fact, she looked a bit miffed. The silence between them stretched and Jack couldn't take it anymore. "Yeah, Barrett asked about you." He caved in, but in a very exaggerated exasperation in his voice.

"Really?" Elvin face looked up at him. "What did he say?"

Jack stopped walking and turned to face her, Sam doubling back to look at him with a ghost of a smile threatening to appear on her lips any moment.

"Colonel?" Sam was expectantly waiting for his answer.

"Barrett said he wished you guys could hang out, talk about old times and stuff. But his work wouldn't let him stay long in Colorado."

"Oh," she quietly said. "Maybe next time when he's in town," and beamed Jack a wide grin before continuing on her way Jack following closely behind, thinking about the wisdom of what he'd just done.

Well, it was true.

Sorta.

_So, how's Maj. Carter?_

_Slinged._

_What?_

_Nothing major. Minor accident._

_I was hoping maybe the major could meet me tonight while I'm in town… talk about old times._

_Dr. Fraiser has her on a very strict schedule. No late nights for the next week or so._

_Oh… I guess some other time, then._

- - - o 0 o - - -

The Jaffa guard parted the tent's entrance to let her through. She nodded ever so slightly as she passed him before turning her attention to the tent's four occupants.

Three Jaffa guards were huddled around a fourth, bent-over figure whose head nearly reached the hard ground from having no strength left to lift it. A memory device was snuggly attached to his right temple. The prisoner's body was trembling violently and his breathing was labored. An occasional whimper escaped his lips from a multitude of pains he was probably feeling, no doubt bestowed upon him by Boudin.

"Any progress?" she asked silently, looking at the Goa'uld prisoner with contempt.

"He proves to be quite stubborn, my lady," the huge Jaffa said, bowing his head at her before answering. "A few more minutes with him and – "

"No need," Maya gently interrupted. She stepped closer to Gorkesh and kneeled before him. "I know just the thing."

Maya took out something from a small bag tied to her slim waist. It looked like a small seed-like thing, smooth, shiny and obsidian in color. And it was obviously metallic. She told the two other Jaffa to hold him still as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it hard so that she could properly look at his bloody face.

Boudin kneeled down beside her and forcefully opened Gorkesh's mouth. Maya then placed the device in without any struggle from the prisoner at all. The Jaffa then closed the man's mouth and held it there for a few seconds before releasing it. Maya stood up and stepped away from them and watched as the guards released their hold of the nearly unconscious man who crumbled to the hard ground, face down, with a dull thud. He grunted softly once and did not move.

"Stand guard outside and see to it that no one disturbs him," Maya said as she turned around and began to make way for the tent's entrance, hips swaying gracefully. "Once our little friend settles in quite nicely, he will tell us everything we want to know of his own volition.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I miss writing. Enjoy!**

**O/T: An advanced HAPPY BIRTHDAY to **_**matute**_** on June 10! Have a great day, sis! From across the miles... Wow... A Hallmark moment:D**

**A note on singular, dual, plural & collective in Ancient Egyptian:**

**sholva – **Goa'uld word for a Jaffa "traitor."

**sholva'y**– indicative of two traitors.

**sholva't** – indicative of three or more traitors.

**Spoiler: **Allegiance & Cure

* * *

**25**

Hurry!

_His mind screamed and it was echoed by another presence within him. He commanded his legs to move faster, to carry him as fast as they could, across the vast ice wasteland away from the chaos and the fighting, towards a cluster of gargantuan snow-covered stone slabs in a distance._

_Snow crunched underfoot as he ran for safety – for safety was beyond those cluster of jagged megaliths, through a narrow pass that cleaved a hundreds feet tall wall-like rock formation that span for who knows how many miles from left to right in two and down a crater-like formation in which the planet's Chappa'ai could be found sitting serenely dead center._

_He could still hear the sounds of fighting behind him: men screaming, the shrill whine the engines of the gliders made, the sounds of staff weapons and zats discharging, a couple of dull explosions that erupted here and there both above and on ground..._

_The scene then changed. What used to be a vast blinding whiteness tall trees and bare earth replaced it. These trees surrounded a shallow 3-kilometer-wide crater-like depression on the rocky ground. To Malek's immediate left stood the planet's Chappa'ai. To his far right were Bratac, Teal'c and a few Jaffa with their staff weapons raised facing the inactive Ancient device. While he flanked Selmak and his host Jacob Carter on their left._

_He let Jacob do the talking and merely exchanged glances with his chief of security, Ocker when he saw that the place was crawling not only with Tau'ri and Tok'Ra but Jaffa as well. Malek usually concede to Selmak's better judgment but now he mentally questioned his friend's wisdom of bringing them there: if it was indeed Selmak who had thought of this plan at all._

"_This is the base of the Tau'ri…" Malek asked suddenly, assessing the base with a critical eye. On the surface the Tok'Ra leader looked calm and composed but alarm bells were ringing within and hackles rising at the sight of so many Goa'uld foot soldiers walking freely about them. "Why are there Jaffa?"_

"_Rebel warriors," the daughter of Selmak's host, Major Carter, said._

"_Jaffa who turned against Goa'uld?" Malek quirked a brow at this, his amber eyes narrowing as he made another sweep of their surroundings. He hadn't even tried masking the disbelief in his voice upon hearing her answer. Based from the mark on their foreheads, these_sholva't_ came from different System Lords. "I did not realize their ranks had grown to such a number."_

"_Hundreds more are operating in secret among the Goa'uld…" the young woman further explained, as if wanting to reassure him._

"_Just… like… you." The one the Tau'ris call Colonel O'Neill, leader of SG-1 said with deliberate slowness. He undauntedly stared right back at Malek when the Tok'Ra darted an angry look his way…_

_Malek was now breathing through his mouth, the air he exhaled instantly turned into wisps of white vapor that instantly disappeared to mingle with the air. Without losing momentum, he took a quick look behind him to check on the progress of his two companions, Yarek and Nee'chos both armed with staff weapons, running a few yards behind him._

_A death glider on an intercept course flew harmlessly past them from the east. It was flying too low and, barely a hundred feet from the ground, Malek knew better than to think that it was there merely to scout._

_And no sooner had he thought of it when it happened. His heart went to his throat as he watched the glider ascend a few feet up before executing a wide three-hundred-sixty-degree turn as it headed straight back towards them, like a huge predatory bird that had spotted its prey on the ground._

_He heard one of the Jaffa shout out a warning as the sound of the glider's engine filled his ears. Malek quickly lunged himself on the hard packed snow, arms over his head as the glider closed in._

_The bombardment shook the ground with terrifying force as weapon discharges rained around him one pair after the other in quick, rapid succession. Malek felt chunks of melted snow landing on his back and legs making him shiver involuntarily as icy cold water made contact with fevered skin._

_As the fighter roared away, Malek quickly jumped back on his feet and continued to run. He chanced a quick look at the general direction the glider took. It was just starting to ascend and it would take a few more seconds before it could completely execute another turn…_

_It was pointless. _

_Their enemy, an Ashrak sent by Anubis, was invisible. It attacked the men guarding the Chappa'ai, hoping to use it to escape the Alpha site upon which a Tok'Ra was hit by friendly fire. During the commotion, it had successfully taken the Tau'ri GDO from Major Pierce, most probably to gain access to Stargate Command to wreak havoc and carnage there if ever it slipped past their blockade. _

_Tok'Ra knew that the Goa'uld could never directly or indirectly attack the Tau'ri homeworld as long as it was under the protection of the powerful beings called the Asgards. But an invisible Ashrak was a major problem and they had no way of warning SGC to what it was planning without activating the Chappa'ai. It's basically undetectable (unless you have the proper equipment that enables a person to "see" them), therefore, they couldn't blame the attack on the Goa'ulds for lack of evidence and an Ashrak would never allow itself to be captured alive._

_But that was not his problem!_

"_We should leave," Malek said as he marched up to the colonel, hoping to make the Tau'ri leader see that this entire campaign was bound to fail. "Before it attempts another attack!"_

"_It took the GDO!" Colonel O'Neill angrily told him. "Nobody's going anywhere,"_

"_Colonel, you saw what it's capable – "_

"_Yes, I did," the Tau'ri barked at him, his left eye twitching. "That's why I want all available personnel guarding _that_ Gate!"_

_He was simply being stubborn. "Colonel – "_

"_Go help, Carter!"_

_He willed his legs to run faster, to ignore the stitch on his side, or that his body was starting to protest from the abuse, or the feeling that his lungs were about ready to explode._

_He heard the undeniable sound of the glider's engine as it came nearer. He looked back again and saw his companions aiming their staff weapons at the incoming Goa'uld fighter. _

"_Yarek!" Malek shouted with an undeniable urgency in his tone. He unholstered the zat from his belt as he, too, began to track the incoming glider with his eyes._

"_Go!" The dark Jaffa turned to him. "Nee'chos and I shall attempt to distract it."_

_Malek frowned. He took one look at the rocks that looked like sentinels that guarded the pass that lead to their only way off the planet then back at them. The three of them had a much bigger chance of escaping the fighter in there than out here in the open…_

_They started to work on generating a high-frequency burst to be able to see their invisible enemy. Major Carter was constantly checking the stability of both the naquadah generator and the bubble field that they were creating. Jacob was busy checking and re-checking all connections while he was left to watch the output the altered generator was producing until it reached the required frequency._

_Malek tore his eyes away from the monitor and to his surroundings. To his far right was a silent Colonel O'Neill, scanning their surroundings for any signs of the Ashrak. He had his hands cradling the crude Tau'ri weapon his kind always carried, a weapon called P-90. Malek looked left and saw Teal'c and Raknor standing close together with their backs on each other._

"_If we all perish, we may no longer be able to carry on the fight," Malek solemnly said as he caught Raknor's eye._

_The young Jaffa's answer astounded him. "Jaffa will fight side by side…"_

"_Go!" Yarek yelled at the Tok'Ra before firing the first shot. "We will be right behind you."_

"…_and if need be, die side by side," ended Raknor._

_Multiple explosions erupted around them. Powdery white snow went flying in different directions making Malek waver a bit on where he stood._

_He flinched involuntarily, raising an arm over his head to protect it from any flying projectiles that might be coming his way. But the Tok'Ra saw neither Jaffa moved from their relative positions, continuing their attacks on the passing glider._

_It was getting closer forcing Malek to run ahead of it although certain that he could never outrun it fast enough. His only chance was to reach those boulders and hide under them._

_Making a wild guess as to his distance from safety, the Tok'Ra made a huge leap of faith and landed roughly between the widest gap in the cluster as the glider flew past him. Malek quickly looked up to see where the fighter had gone to but lost sight of it when the rock outcroppings hid it from view, its engines screaming through the air._

_Goa'uld death gliders weren't very maneuverable crafts incapable of making tight three-sixty turns at high velocity. Executing wide arcs to turn properly would slow it down as the ship tries to compensate for the sudden changes on its flight path. And it was all that Yarek and Nee'chos needed to reach the safety of the boulders. But as the Tok'Ra watched, another danger appeared on the crest of a dune behind them: six Jaffa enemies, with weapons blazing, in hot pursuit of his companions._

_Malek aimed the zat at the enemies waiting for them to come in range..._

_He turned to study the tall Tau'ri that was flanking Major Carter with curiosity. He seemed to be their leader, seeing at how Jacob's daughter was standing at a respectful distance from him._

_At a glance, there was nothing physically noteworthy about this leader of the Tau'ri warriors. But at closer inspection, Malek sensed that the human was more than what he seemed. He emanated the aura and bearing of a man who was comfortable with giving out commands and having them obeyed by those under him._

"_To whom do we owe our thanks for this refuge?" Malek politely asked._

"_Col. Jack O'Neill," Jacob began the introductions, "this is Malek. Commander of the Tok'Ra base we had just evacuated…"_

You are Tok'Ra?…

_The glider completed his turn and made another pass, this time aiming its twin guns on Yarek and Nee'chos. Malek cried out to warn them. But too late. One of the energy discharges landed close to them, sending both Jaffa flying a few feet up in the air and landing facedown on the snow. Malek's right eye twitched involuntarily at the scene unfolding right before him._

_He craned his neck to see any sign of movement from the downed men. He wanted to make a run for it, provide them with cover fire from the progressing group and the glider that was making another pass above them. He saw Yarek look his way…_

_And met Bratac's stare._

_His heart stopped for a full minute as he studied the old warrior's face, thin streaks of blood falling freely down the side of the Jaffa's face from a head wound. Although he knew that his end finally came, Bratac's face was astoundingly calm, void of fear or anger. There was determination in his light brown eyes that simply held Malek mesmerized…_

Listen!_A voice from his head cried. _You must listen to me!

_The Tok'Ra loosened his tight grip on the trigger when he saw the warrior being pulled away by the invisible enemy deeper into the woods for the kill. Malek wanted to cry out to Colonel O'Neill for help but couldn't. It felt like there was a huge lump stuck in his throat. _

_To put it bluntly, Malek was paralyzed with fear. Fear for Bratac, fear for himself and for everyone in the doomed planet. He had to warn the rest. _

_But Bratac…_

Hearken to me, Tok'Ra! _the voice in his head cried out in alarm._ None of what you're seeing is real.

Stop it… stop it, please… _he pleaded to the voice…_

_And it was the same fear that gripped him now as the enemy reached them. Nee'chos began to stir but froze as soon as he felt the nozzle of a staff weapon pressed on his back. Yarek must've said something to Nee'chos for he slowly nodded before glowering at the Jaffa around them._

"_We have your comrades, Goa'uld," the leader of the Jaffa called out loud enough for Malek to hear. "Surrender and you're friends will live. You already know what will happen if you do not." _

_Malek took a peek from where he was hiding and saw a bear of a man with dark red hair facing his way. The glider flew over them one last time before disappearing behind a small hill to Malek's far right._

"_Either way," the Jaffa further said, "we will still come after you."_

_He stopped momentarily, trying to decide what to do, and began weighing his options. There were only two places Malek could go to. The path behind him was his only means of escaping this place with the information the Tok'Ra needed. And the one in front of him spelled certain doom to himself and most probably to the Tok'Ra in the long run. No pressure, right?_

_If something like this happened before, Malek wouldn't be having a hard time deciding his next course of action for he already knew what to do: run for safety…_

"_You are no different than the Goa'uld," the Jaffa Artok told him…_

Drink this… _the voice insisted. And felt cool liquid running smoothly down his throat._

No… no more… please…

"_He was defenseless!" Raknor roared, grabbing Malek's left arm in a viselike grip as he passed. The Tok'Ra leader then lets loose a punch that solidly connected with the Jaffa's jaw. All hell broke loose…_

"_She must be freed immediately, of course!" He commanded heatedly. "She is _our_ Queen! Every moment that she is kept in this condition is an affront to the Tok'Ra! Her freedom is not open for negotiation."_

"_I'm sorry, but you ask the impossible," Dollen, the leader of the Pangarans told them most regretfully, unable to look Malek straight in the eye._

_He was angry. No. He was furious. Malek had never felt such intense emotion before and he had gladly given in to it. He scowled darkly, eyeing the elderly man, who was clearly beside himself after learning the identity of the symbiote they had been doing their experiments upon for over fifty Pangaran years. How dare they deny them of their Queen!_

_He sensed Kelmaa staring at him. Although they never looked at each other, he knew Kelmaa enough to know that she disproved of the behavior he was showing to them. But… he gritted his teeth, a tic appearing in his jaw, cursing in an old Goa'uld dialect… he simply couldn't stand there and accept this calmly!_

_If Malek had his way, he'd be heading back to the Chappa'ai and report to the Council of this astounding find. Many would agree to assault this planet if they had to if that's what it takes to have their Queen back with them._

_But that would take too long and time was the one thing they do not have. Their Queen was dying. Her cells were degenerating. They must act _now

_And his temper wasn't helping at all. Malek decided on changing tactics. "You do not understand," he said pleadingly. "Her existence is a miracle to the Tok'Ra. We are also a dying race. You may lose thousands – our kind will become extinct!"_

He lurched suddenly forward, clawing his way in the darkness that surrounded him. He tried desperately to breathe but his gag reflexes wouldn't allow him that much even though his lungs were screaming for air. A painful throbbing blossomed from the center of his chest, like it was about to explode as his body tried to force something out of his system.

_Malek looked behind him. He was well hidden and, if he decided on running for the pass, he could easily do so without endangering himself, protected by the enormous stone slabs all around him. If they were to pursue him the only way they could do so was to go through the way he came. Even the gliders wouldn't be able to target him that easily…_

Let your body relax… do not fight it… you will only bring harm to yourself…

_He stood from his hiding place and turned to the direction that would lead him to the only pass through the Chappa'ai and to safety. He knew there were no guards stationed there because it was totally isolated. This was his chance._

_Forgive me._

Let go, I say…

"_I owe you my life twice over," Malek said, repentant. His relief of seeing the warrior alive flowed through every word he said. "I only hope that I will be given the chance to repay that debt. Forgive me."_

Let go…

_No._

_It doesn't have to end this way._

_Before common sense could stop him, before it could freeze his both his feet from taking those first steps, Malek sharply turned his back to safety and slowly marched back to where the enemy Jaffa was holding his companions hostage. He knew full well that this decision might be the last one he'll ever make. But it was nothing compared to the fact that, by surrendering, he had failed in his mission…_

_He kneeled before her, his dark golden head bowed so low, unable to look at her directly._

"_Egeria," he spoke with great reverence, "it is an honor."_

Egeria…

_He would never forget the day that their long thought dead beloved Queen had spoken to him. It was a most momentous day of his life and also the saddest. He didn't move, waiting a reprimand from her for their ignorance of who she was and Malek would willingly accept the blame for all of it. But the words that came out of her lips completely took him by surprise._

"_Rise, Malek," Queen Egeria said to him. "You are not my servant." Her voice was so soft that it almost sounded ethereal. "Kelmaa had been generous in giving her life to free me… but I'm afraid it is too late… my time has almost come…"_

Awake I say! _The voice was getting louder. Stronger. More persistent than ever. It was pulling both the host and the symbiote away from there and together they resisted it. _

_They let sorrow wrap them in its dark and gloomy embrace as the Tok'Ra fought back the tears trying to roll down his face. To have found her only to lose her again was painful. Too painful. If Egeria dies, the future of the Tok'Ra dies along with her._

I have failed, _he thought bitterly. All hope for the Tok'Ra had been lost and he was the one to be blamed. If he had taken action, if he had gone through the Chappa'ai…_

I have failed.

You will, _it was that voice again. _If you do not open your eyes and _wake up!_

Malek started violently, opening his eyes wide only to see darkness all around him. And then it began.

Once the retching started, Malek had no way of controlling it. He was on all fours, his back arching upward while his body convulsed in painful spasms as he continued to empty his stomach of its contents right then and there.

After he was quite sure that there was nothing left to extract from his digestive organ, he weakly slumped back on the tent pole he was chained to, closing his eyes as the sudden movement made his world spin dizzily.

As the painful retching gradually loosened its grip on his battered body, leaving him weak and shivering, it was only then that Malek realized he wasn't alone in the chilly dark tent.

He lifted heavy eyes upward, only to have them widen up in alarm. The cause of his distress came from the figure kneeling right beside him.

Maya.

- - - o 0 o - - -

If an on-the-spot survey were to be made around the base, everyone would quickly say that Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman, although he occupied a vital position in Stargate Command, was not one to boss people around and they were right. Walter never liked bullies and never did like being bullied. He had a lot of those in his youth and passing the harassment onto those under him would never do him or anyone any good.

But that doesn't mean that the chief Gate operator wasn't one to make exceptions.

After handing in his monthly Gate operations report over to the general and reminding him of tomorrow's schedule, Walter was thinking of the long day ahead. He was scheduled to meet Maj. Carter in the control room an hour later to begin filtering all the unidentified radio transmissions that their database had accumulated for as far as seven to eight months back when he noticed a figure coming towards him from the opposite direction.

Airman Basic Tom Winston.

The Know-It-All kid.

"Chief,"

Walter never broke his stride as he passed the airman with a single purpose of putting a few good distances away from the arrogant kid. But instead of leaving him alone Winston turned around to follow, something that didn't come as a surprise to the silver-haired man knowing the reason behind this but still chose to ignore the kid who was trying to keep up with him.

"Sir," the airman began, "I would like to have a word – "

"Whatever it is, Winston," Walter softly cuts in, sighing dramatically so that the young man could hear. To make it sound more convincing, the Gate operator dropped a little hint of irritation in his voice just enough to get noticed, "can't it wait until I can properly address it? I have an important thing to do and I am running a little late." There was nothing important he had to do between now and his meeting with the major. But the kid doesn't have to know that.

"It's about my added shift, sir," Winston finally said. "There must be some mistake. I can't go on two shifts straight indefinitely!"

"Yes, you can. And it really isn't indefinite. It'll be just three to four days… a week at most. Your added hours aren't categorized as duty shift but research." Walter replied. "It's volunteer work and,"–he turned to lightly tap the young man, who stopped just in time to avoid colliding with him, on the chest with an index finger–"I've decided on volunteering _you_ to the general, knowing how much you liked doing one."

The poor kid could do nothing but stare dumbfounded at Walter as the sergeant enthusiastically tapped the airman on the arm.

"Don't worry," the Gate operator said reassuringly, patronizingly. "I'm sure you're gonna _love_ it."

As Walter turned around, his face split into a self-satisfied smirk, wrinkling his face in a most adorable way. As he was about to enter the control room when he remembered something else.

"And Winston," Walter quickly turned around to look at the airman who was still standing right were he left him and held up both hands in a thumbs-up sign, "make us proud!"

- - - o 0 o - - -

There came a knock on the door of his private quarters. Teal'c came to open it.

"Jonas Quinn,"

Jonas weakly waved in greeting, smiling. "You doing something, Teal'c?" he asked, adjusting his weight on his crutches. "I know it's late and if this isn't the right time…"

Without a word, the Jaffa stepped back and swung the door wide open to let the young man in.

Jonas flashed him a timid smile as he thanked him.

Teal'c watched the Kelownan hobble his way into the foot of the bed clumsily. "Shouldn't you be resting, Jonas Quinn? Dr. Fraiser had you excused from debriefing earlier because you needed to rest."

Jonas cocked his head to one side. "Oh, I've rested. Really," Jonas reassured him when Teal'c looked unconvinced. "But the thing is," he flopped on the mattress with some difficulty but managed to do it without banging his bandaged foot on the floor and placed his crutches aside. "I can't sleep anymore."

"Is your body in need of nourishment?" Teal'c quickly asked. "Perhaps you need some assistance in the commissary?"

The Kelownan shook his head. "Nah. Janet had me eat while I was in the infirmary."

Teal'c sat on the couch closest to the lad. He was puzzled and at the same time relieved that Jonas Quinn was doing rather well than expected after what he had just gone through that day. The Langaran ambassador shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Thanks," –and cocked his head the way he always does whenever he stumbled for the right words to say- "for doing what you guys did back on Langara, getting me and Maj. Reynolds out of there…"

Teal'c couldn't restrain the ghost of a smile to surface on his usually impassive face. Even though it was unnecessary, Jonas Quinn always went out of his way to show his gratitude to even the smallest gesture of help sent his way. Or even to the smallest transgression that the Kelownan thought he had made to anyone. For the Kelownan, it was a habit very hard to break and they all came to realize that it was very much a part of Jonas and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I wonder how long will it take for you guys to get tired of running around after me whenever I get myself in trouble."

His last sentence made Teal'c frown. "Why do you speak as such, Jonas Quinn?" He inquired softly. "Why do you think that we will grow tried of helping you like we do not know each other? Like we are strangers rather than friends?"

The Jaffa saw Jonas blink in surprise. Eyes, the color of the deepest part of Earth's oceans, seemed to dilate in confusion before returning to its normal size as comprehension dawned on him.

"That's not what I… Well, it's not… It's just that…"

It was the first time he heard Jonas Quinn stutter as his hands made erratic motions in the air until he finally gave up.

"Put it this way," Jonas tried once again, "I'm not good in a fight as I used to be. I know I should've at least maintained some semblance of it but there wasn't just enough time for me to – "

"Then begin again," Teal'c cuts in.

Jonas chuckled. "Teal'c – "

But the Jaffa doesn't want to hear any of it. "Meet me at the base gym in fifteen minutes, Jonas Quinn."

"What?" The young man was clearly taken aback. "Now?"

Teal'c turned to look at him. "You had expressed your desire to re-educate yourself on how to fight."

"I didn't," Jonas disclaimed.

He continued as if he hadn't heard the Kelownan. "Now would be a good time to begin your training."

A troubled frown creased the ambassador's face as he held up a hand to slow Teal'c down. "Wait,"

"We will start with the basic Jaffa training normally taught only to our young – "

"Hold out," Jonas fervently grabbed his crutches and with them managed to stand on wobbly feet. They were at least eye level. "Teal'c, I can't."

The Jaffa eyed him curiously. Jonas sighed resignedly as he looked down on himself than back up at Teal'c wearing a see-what-I-mean? look on his face.

"It is inconsequential," Teal'c brushed off the evident obstacle in their path. "You can still learn how to fight," he said.

"Even on crutches?" Jonas asked dubiously.

"Bratac once said that Jaffa has many senses in which to fight."

The Kelownan eyed his friend as if waiting for a catch.

"I will give you thirty minutes to gather everything you need, Jonas Quinn," the huge Jaffa told him as he walked towards the door to open it before turning back to Jonas. "I shall be waiting at the gym."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Malek tried to scurry away but a pair of firm hands painfully gripped both his arms halting his planned retreat.

"Stay still," she gently urged him, not loosening her grip on him even though she saw him visibly wince. "It would only make matters worse for you if you try to move."

The Tok'Ra tightly closed his eyes. Although the temperature was near to freezing, beads of perspiration freely ran down his face. Malek could feel them running with wild abandon down his back, his chest, on his neck… everywhere. His labored breathing was the only noise he could hear aside from the soft chinking sound the chain, which connected his shackles to the tent pole, made.

Maya's beautiful face hovered very close to his as soon as he opened his eyes. Malek fought the urge to flinch and instead mentally readied himself for another round of torment.

"Malek of the Tok'Ra," she whispered softly. "Child of the rebel queen Egeria. It has been quite a while since I encountered one of your kind. His lordship shall be most delighted of this find."

Malek closed his eyes in anguish. He groaned inwardly at that thought of how easily they had uncovered his true identity. Now that they had been found out, the agent knew that he and his host were now a liability to the Tok'Ra.

"I would rather die than betray the Tok'Ra." Malek defiantly said.

He heard her grunt and as he turned to see what he could of her, his eyes stared at the soft, creamy flesh of her neck. It was so tempting to reach out and crush her windpipe with his bare hands.

"I know you would, Tok'Ra," her words ended in a soft laugh. Her lips curled in a pleased smile. "But that won't be necessary. I wouldn't let it happen."

Maya moved in closer to whisper in his ear. Malek couldn't stop himself from shivering when her warm breath touched his clammy skin as she softly said, "I will help you escape."


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I would like to take this opportunity to ask for **_**matute'**_**s forgiveness. I know you know what I'm talking about. I hope you're not mad. And I hope you liked the "you-know-whats" that I sent you eons before. And I'm going to send a few more! XD**

**Chapter Spoilers: **Deadman's Switch, Ascension

* * *

"_For her price is above rubies." – _Proverbs

* * *

**26**

The first thing Malek became aware of, as he slowly came to, was the dull throbbing inside his head. Thinking that changing positions would help lessen the pain somewhat he moved but stopped as soon as razor sharp pain pierced his neck and back.

He sucked air through tightly clenched teeth as his body tensed, waiting for the floodtide of pain to abate. There was nothing he wanted more but sink back into blissful oblivion until all major injuries were, if not completely, healed.

The rest of his body started reporting in and their overall assessment wasn't good: His shoulder felt odd. It was somewhat heavy and numb. Probably dislocated, or worse, broken. His bones ached and the muscles sore. His chest burned with every breath he took. Twinges of pain would erupt down his hip, in sync with the persistent throbbing inside his skull. He tasted blood in his mouth and the side of his face was wet and sticky as blood trickled down to his chin. He was surprised to find himself trembling uncontrollably from a slight fever gone unnoticed till now.

In a healthier state, Malek could easily heal those that ailed them within a manner of hours. But in his present condition, accomplishing such feat was close to impossible and most certainly dangerous. He could still heal them but in a painstakingly slow process or it could mean the end of his life.

He opened eyes that wouldn't obey and found himself in near total darkness. Malek looked about wildly, slumbering senses jumpstarting to heightened alertness, suddenly remembering everything in a rush of memories.

Torture. Pain. Blood. Dreams that continued to haunt them. Danem.

He instinctively reached out to his host, calling out his name and found him still unconscious, tucked under what was left of the mental barrier he had built around his friend, hoping to protect Danem's consciousness from the torture they were about to undergo. He was torn between waking him up and letting him be, wanting to assure himself that nothing serious had happened to him.

Something in the air immediately caught his attention and it was nowhere near pleasant. Malek wrinkled his nose as it assailed his senses trying to find the source of that putrid smell, a cross between burnt flesh and melted electrical wiring.

He didn't have to look very far for the source was just a feet or two away to his right. A small mound of what appeared to be the remains of a small fire. Tendrils of dark brown smoke floated lazily upwards as Malek stared mesmerized.

_[ Don't worry, it's dead. _

Malek froze.

_[ Luckily, I was able to get it out of your system before it could do some serious damage. _

Memories of dreamlike quality jarred his mind: a Jaffa forcing him to swallow something. The uncontrollable retching as a gentle hand rubbed his back while a voice urged him on. There were others hovering just beyond his reach but whenever he tried to mold them into a cohesive form, they would dart about wildly avoiding his futile attempts of holding them all in place.

Maya's slim figure was perched on top of one of the smaller crates by the tent's entrance. She was sitting cross-legged, indolently looking down at him, face propped on one hand.

_[ Normally, I don't hang around waiting for prisoners to wake up. But for you, I'm willing to make an exception. _

It wasn't about her continued presence there that got him all shook up. Rather, it was the manner on how the words were communicated to him. _[ You are – _

_[ I'm in your head? _She jumped from her perch and sat on her hunches beside him. _[ Yes. _

_[ That… thing… was alive and inside me? _It was hard to think straight with his mind in a fuzzy haze and his body protesting with every movement he'd dare make.

_[ And I thought Tok'Ra were not a fickle lot? _

_[ How - _

_[ I am Maya, by the way. You're the Tok'Ra symbiote Malek and your host is…? _When he didn't answer, she continued, _[ I'm sure he has a name. _

_[ Are you a telepath? _Malek asked, ignoring her question. He was not of a mind to play games. It was too much for his brain to comprehend at the moment. Through the years, Tok'Ra had encountered species that are telepathic, both benevolent and malevolent. Some are still around while most had been mercilessly wiped out into a handful few by the Goa'ulds when they stumble upon them.

_[ No. But I have something that could. _

_[ The memory device? _

She didn't stop him when he pulled the deactivated device off his temple. _[ We both know how limited those things are. However, advanced Goa'uld technology is. _

Malek frowned. A device that could generate an artificial telepathic link? Goa'uld technology might be termed "advanced" but it was nothing compared to a race he knew that once dominated the galaxy millions of years before.

She threw him a flask of water before stalking away to continue her vigil by the entrance. The cool liquid was the sweetest he'd tasted in a long while because the prisoners' water supply was contaminated, tainted to a dark brown color and had a nasty smell. He was hard pressed not to empty the container all at once and quickly recapped it before he changed his mind.

_[ Are there any more of you here? _she inquired, standing by the tent's entrance, cautiously looking outside.

_[ Just us, _indicating him and his host.

_[ Good. It would make things much more easier. _

_[ Why? _

She threw him a questioning glance.

_[ Tok'Ra are sworn enemies of the Goa'uld. Therefore, we are your enemy as well. _

_[ I know who my enemies are, Tok'Ra, so do not put words into my mouth, _she replied sardonically._ [ The question is: Do you? _

His frown deepened at her cryptic reply. _[ The Jaffa that are with you hold you in high regard and does your bidding without question. A thing only reserved for their Goa'uld masters. But you are not one of them. _

One delicate brow slowly arched as she looked down on him. _[ Very observant. You're right. I'm not Goa'uld. But then again, you haven't met someone like me before. _

_[ Who are you? _

_[ If I tell you, I would have to kill you. _

Malek lapsed into silence, contemplating her words. Maya returned her attention back outside. He reopened the flask and drank.

_[ Does it need to be rationalized?_

The Tok'Ra heard her sigh in his mind and puts down the container to look up at her. _[ Nothing is done without reason. _

_[ Then my reasons are my own. _

_[ So why should we trust you? _

_[ Trust has nothing to do with what I am offering you: a way out of here. _Annoyance was dripping in every word she said.

As if to give strength to her words, the ground suddenly rumbled and a slight tremor gently rocked the camp. Outside, cries of surprise permeated the air as everyone realized what was happening. Fortunately, the earthquake, that was becoming more frequent, didn't increase like the previous ones did. It subsided after a few moments. Maya threw him a meaningful glare as her eyes roamed the shaking tent around them.

_[ As you can very well see, this planet is tearing itself apart from the inside out. I'm sure you noticed the preparations we have been doing for days now. We're simply waiting for them to come pick us up. If you are still here on the day we are to leave, I cannot guarantee your safety or what will happen to you. _

_[ How do you intend to help us? _

_[ Tomorrow evening, _she began. _[ We'll slip past the perimeter guards, avoid any patrolling sentries along the way and make a run for the Chappa'ai – _

_No._

Maya stopped short, blinking lavander eyes under delicate brows that arched in unmasked surprise. Somehow, Malek wasn't completely surprised that they would encounter an opposition regarding this idea. She looked at the Tok'Ra who shrugged helplessly as he returned her piercing gaze with a "hey-don't-look-at-me" look.

_We can't leave the prisoners behind,_ Danem reminded his symbiote, indignant. If anything, the quiver in his voice gave every indication of the weakened state he's in. _Malek, we promised we'd take them with us._

_And we are not going to break that promise, _Malek said, reassuringly. _We simply have to bring back reinforcements with us._

_By then, it'd be too late._

_If you are planning to start an uprising, Danem, we are highly at a disadvantage. The prisoners are in no condition to fight, even though we are twice the enemy's number. Or have you not noticed that?_

_These are warriors who finds honor in death fighting in the field of battle. Much less so'd be a dishonor to their forebears, _Danem argued.

_You will only lead them to their slaughter,_ Malek retorted back, annoyed at his host for being quite stubborn. Oftentimes, Danem would be acquiescent, content to just step back and let Malek run the show (even though he could be a bit sarcastic once in a while about it). Of course, the latter would always ask for his host's counsel and that usually work almost always. But there were times when Danem's stubbornness rears its ugly head, which often, led to disagreements between the two of them.

_[ This isn't the time nor the place to bicker amongst ourselves, _Maya growled out warningly, halting the heated argument brewing between the two of them. They had completely forgotten about her. Her features softened, replaced by something akin to wonder. _[ You care what happens to the prisoners? _

_[ Yes, _answered Danem in a much stronger, less quivering, voice.

_[ Even if some of them showed open hostility towards you? _

_[ I believe what my friend was trying to say is: we are thinking of the whole, not just the coveted few. _

She fell into a thoughtful stupor, as if trying to find truth in their words. Malek once again took the opportunity to drink another draught of water from the flask. _[ If we send out a message to the Tok'Ra, would that be sufficient enough for them to believe that it came from you? _

_[ By conventional means? No, they will not. _

_[ Not to mention, we're not in the same place we used to be, _Danem added, morose.

_[ So there's really no way to make them come and get you? Malek? Danem? _Then as if second-guessing them, anger swept across her beautiful features. _[ Can we please get past the "she works for a Goa'uld" issue and concentrate on what I am offering you? Isn't that what you wanted? Or are you too proud to accept the help from someone not one of your own? _

It was Danem that spoke. _[ We're not proud. Merely being cautious. You were the enemy until a few moments ago which piqued our interest. What prompted your sudden change of heart? _

A low growl rumbled deep in her throat as she angrily turned away. The Tok'Ra waited patiently staring at her rigid back. She seemed to be fighting some inner battle with herself.

_[ I am simply paying a debt, _she muttered, looking over her shoulder at them. _[ I ask you again: do you want to get out of this place or not? For I do not have all day. _

_[ We didn't say no, did we? _Danem said sarcastically. For Malek, his scathing behavior was a good omen: his friend was becoming his old self again.

_[ Then, question me no further! Otherwise, I would be forced to retract my offer. _

_[ Yes, _Malek quickly cuts in. _[ We had such a device. _

She was instantly beside them, a hand frantically reaching inside the opening of her thick winter coat. _[ This one? _When they nodded, she gazed at it in wonder. _[ Show me, _

_[ It's already got a pre-arranged message in it. All that's left missing is al-Kahira's Gate address. _

_[ Merenptah never gave it to you? _She looked at them incredulously.

_[ We tried but the System Lord never trusted anyone, most especially Goa'uld working under him, except for his First Prime. We were brought here via ship. _

Maya flashed a genuine smile for the first time. _[ I can easily provide that. Can I add a few more? To give your people an idea of what to expect once they get here. _

_[ By all means. However, we're not sure how much free memory's left. _

_[ I'll manage, _she said confidently. _[ There's one more thing, _She turned her head to one side, and pushed the dark silken stresses away exposing her ear.

_[ Are we supposed to be seeing something? _Danem couldn't help commenting as they looked on.

_[ Look closer, _

At first, Malek couldn't see anything but bare flesh and, as he was about to comment on it, noticed something odd. Something shimmered on the topmost curve of her right ear, near the base, where it joined the rest of her head. As they continued to watch, the shimmer uncloaked a device they had never seen before, eliciting a soft gasp of wonder from the Tok'Ra.

It was slightly curved about ten centimeters long and more or less six centimeters wide. Malek looked at it curiously as it caught the pale light on its dull bronze surface and watched as she did something with it. It hugged the base snugly due to its shape, easily conforming to the ear's contour. It was completely hidden from sight unless one knew where and what to look for exactly.

_[ Told you it's not your usual extract and interact device, _Maya said as she looks at them. _[ It has cloaking technology and is almost undetectable. _The device once again disappeared from sight.

Malek was irrevocably drawn to her eyes. Up close, they were the darkest he'd ever seen that looking at them longer than necessary would certainly hypnotize him if he weren't careful.

_[ It takes time getting used to, _she said. _[ I hope that once they do get this message, they'll act quickly. And soon. For if my companions decide not to kill you, this planet will._

The Tok'Ra nodded his agreement. There were over two hundred Jaffa prisoners in the mines, evacuating all of them would definitely be a daunting task. Intending to return the "link" (for Maya never divulged its name) device, he reached up to take it off of him but, this time, Maya stopped him.

_[ No, _she said. _[ Keep it for the meantime. This way, we will able to keep in constant touch with each other without anyone noticing anything. _

_[ Do we have to wear it always? _

_[ No. I've programmed it to recognize only you so that you can take it on or off anytime you want. If another attempts to put it on, it will do nothing._

They nodded. The unvoiced fear in their minds was quickly silenced by her assurance.

She took the discarded memory device, placing it right back on his temple but left it deactivated._ [ We need to be convincing. I will see to it that no one bothers you after this. You will be returned to your tent tomorrow morning so I suggest you take some rest. Say nothing about this even to those you trust. Spies abound everywhere. Even among the prisoners. _

Malek once again nodded, putting her words at heart. Remembering what they were supposed to do, he reached out with one shaky hand and quietly asked for the communications device and showed her.

- - - o 0 o - - -

A soft ping outside the main corridor heralded the opening of the elevator doors as it reached its final stop for this ride. Out of it emerged a single occupant who seemed to have a very good reason to think that this particular day was going to be a good one. So good he almost felt like whistling.

He eagerly rubbed his hands together as he looked about, giving the impression of trying to decide where to venture out first when, in fact, a decision had already been made while he readied for work that morning.

Without thought, he patted his left breast pocket affectionately as a ghost of a smile twitched the corners of his mouth before continuing on his merry way.

- - - o 0 o - - -

As Sam sat there listening to Janet over the phone, her mind vaguely registered a sound rarely heard within the walls of Stargate Command: someone was whistling an old familiar tune somewhere outside her office.

_At least someone's having a great day, _she couldn't help thinking with chagrin and quickly dismissed the intruding noise from her mind in time to catch Janet's last sentence.

"…_I can't help getting worried, Sam."_

"I'm sure it was probably nothing, Janet."

"_I hope so under the circumstances."_

"Okay, I'll talk to him. Find out if there's anything wrong. I'll call you back as soon as I can."

Her friend finally relented after extracting another promise from the major and hung up. Sam sighed, biting her nails in distraction as she stared absentmindedly at the monitor in front her. If Janet was this disturbed Sam had reason to be worried, too. Dr. Janet Fraiser was known by her peers to have "solid balls of steel" and was hardly bothered by anything, except when it concerned the wellbeing of her patients. And the patient she was presently concerned about was a dear friend to both of them.

Fully immersed she was in her thoughts that it took her a moment to realize that the whistling had stopped and that a silhouette was standing quietly at the threshold of her office. Sam looked up.

"Colonel," she exclaimed, startled by the sudden appearance of her CO.

"Howdy," he said, with a lazy wave of his hand. He took a step inside and quietly looked around.

She looked at her watch. "Is it time for breakfast already?"

"Nah, breakfast'll be a little late today," he drawled, waving dismissively as he came nearer. Jack then braced both hands on the edge of the table and leaned all the way forward, intending to see what she was busy looking at the monitor, humming as he did so.

Sam leaned slightly back on her chair, to accommodate him, knowing very well what he was trying to do when a thought struck her. "That was you?"

"What?"

"The person whistling outside the hallway. It was you?"

There was a pause on the colonel's part before he answered, "Yeah,"

"_Happy Together_?"

"It's a classic!" he defensively asserted, clearly annoyed at her that very moment.

Sam backed off that instant. She must've struck a very rare, and equally sensitive, nerve and, although, she wore a somber_whatever-you-say_ look the sincerity of it was marred with a silly grin on her face. She never thought that the colonel was one to like a song like that. It was so unlike him. So _un_Jack.

Jack irritatingly mouthed the word "What?" when he caught her grinning from ear to ear, sharply reminding him of that big, stripped cat in the story _Alice in Wonderland_. But her only reply was a helpless shrug of her shoulders afraid that if she opened her mouth she might not stop herself from laughing out loud.

"Whatchadoin'?" he asked sternly, quickly changing the subject, once again shifting his attention at the monitor in front of her that had graphs, charts and numbers on it.

"I'm making a comparison of our main database's Gate diagnostics records with those of our backup files," –pointing at the monitor in front of her and then at three others huddled close together– "to see if they all correspond with each other, thereby, eliminating the possibility of any tampering being done in an attempt to cover up whoever's tracks."

Jack ogled at the three monitors sitting quietly beside her. "We have_that_ much backup file?" he said incredulously much to her amusement. "Any luck?" in a voice that was anything but.

"We're doing it as fast as we possibly can, sir. Believe me," she sighed. "But the enormous amount of data was simply overwhelming. Hundreds of files and backups to process and examine. A year's worth of diagnostic reports from all shifts to go through and we still have no idea how long this has been going on or what to look for exactly other than what we do already know."

"So, you think those two transmissions weren't the first set of transmissions they sent but the last two transmissions in a series of… transmissions?"

"That's what we believe," she nodded. "My guess is that it may have started long before the _Enosh_ even took center stage. Maybe when Earth and Langara started exchanging diplomatic envoys with each other."

"Well, for one thing, Jonas would surely be glad to hear that," Jack jested but it disappeared once he noticed Sam's sudden lapse to silence. "What?"

The major appeared hesitant. Like she didn't want to add any more to their already big dilemma. "The headhunters," was all she said.

Jack looked at her but said nothing.

"I mean, it couldn't be coincidental," she said. "And I don't think I'm the only one to say that the headhunters are obviously targeting two specific individuals: Daniel and Jonas. Not only that – they knew exactly when and where to find them."

"Oh, those guys come and go when the mood strikes them, Carter," Jack grunted, unconsciously scratching the back of his head in a rather slow motion. An automatic impulse on the colonel's part whenever he's in deep thought or confused, irritated or frustrated, nervous or furious. Knowing which all depended on the way he executed the motion and Sam knew for sure that he was in deep thought. "Besides, I don't think we ever left their list since Daniel reopened Earth's Stargate and we started busting their relative Goa'uld asses." He ended, matter-of-factly.

Sam gave him a look that silently told him how much she wanted to believe that.

"C'mon, Carter. You worry too much."

His words effectively chased away the gloomy thoughts running rampant in her mind back to their hiding places. Sam mentally shook herself before smiling gratefully at the colonel. "These reports alone will definitely keep me busy for days," she complained, returning the trend of their conversation back to the present, looking helplessly at the clutter around her. "Maybe weeks!"

"Good." Jack patronizingly tapped her shoulder when she sighed once more. "That'll keep Janet off my hair for a couple more days."

His 2IC looked crossly at him as Jack remembered something and he reached inside his left breast pocket. "Here,"

She took the small velvet pouch from him with upraised brows, alternately looking at Jack and at the pouch. He urged her to open it with a silent wave of the hand. She unknotted the cord that closed the opening of the bag and a single item fell on her palm. A bracelet.

Delicate brows arched as she looked at him in wonder, the question written all over her face.

"It's a souvenir from Ynaeya," he said casually, indicating the small trinket she held. He buried his hands deep into his BDU pants pockets and began rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "It's called _negaii_ – a charm bracelet. Very popular with the people back there, hence, the expensive price tag. The Joint Ruling Council people gave it to us as gifts. A way of saying thanks for preventing another international dispute."

A silent "oh!" was her answer as she inspected the gift closely. There wasn't anything eye-catching about it. It seemed just like any other Earth-made trinkets sold on the planet. Small, dark, multi-faceted "beads" were strung together by a dark colored string and bound together by a knot on both ends holding them firmly in place. There were no clasps and the space empty space between the "beads" and the ends of the string suggested that they were meant to be tied together.

Jack took a step closer and asked for the bracelet, which she obediently handed back to him. When he asked her to extend her right arm she hesitated. "Sir, I can do it by myself."

He looked at her askance. Knowing that she couldn't possibly win against the man, she finally gave in and lets him do it.

Jack stepped back as soon as he's finished, letting the major inspect her newly acquired trinket. A few seconds more passed and she was still inspecting it silently. "So?"

Sam glanced at him.

"You like it?" he asked trying to mask his apprehension, but he was so bad at it. "I mean, if you don't we could always – "

"No, sir," she quickly cuts in. "It's perfect."

The colonel blinked, amazed. "Really?"

"Yes. Really. Thank you, sir." A genuine smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips. He opened his mouth to say something when the major added, "For one thing, these beads don't clash with our uniforms."

Jack's face fell. "_Beads_?"

Her smile was frozen in place. "They're not beads?"

The colonel sported a hurt look on his face as he came closer. "They're_ not_ beads," he said taking hold of her arm on one hand while pulling the lamplight towards them with the other, "nor are they, in any way or form, _regular_."

Jack placed the bracelet under the intense glare of the lamp and said nothing. Sam cast a covert glance at her commanding officer's way, her forehead knotted in question when she saw him silently staring at the _negaii_ around her wrist. Not knowing of what else to do, she also stared at it.

On the verge of asking what they were waiting for something amazing happened. Under the bright light, the dark color of the beads began to slowly fade. Jack, with a note of satisfaction, glanced her way but the motion was lost to her as she continued staring at the bracelet on her wrist.

Some unseen force pulled the dark matter into the center of each bead and into inexistence, like they had their own nano black holes in them, showing the treasure lying underneath. Instead of the dark, unattractive beads that greeted her a few moments before, they were now replaced with more than a dozen small, glittering, multi-faceted red jewels -- the likes of which could easily rival the clearest rubies on the planet, sparkling brilliantly before them.

She stared awestruck at the negaii with eyes the size of golf balls as her jaw, literally, dropped to the floor. So captivated she was with it that she had completely missed the softening of Jack's face as he gazed upon her.

"These bracelets," he began softly, "were named after the person who first made them three hundred years ago out of spite to his father. His name was Artemio Negaii."

"Out of spite?" She looked at the tiny jewels in wonder. How could something so beautiful be created out of spite?

Jack nodded as he settled himself on a chair beside her. "If the story is to be believed, Artemio's old man had always been obsessed in finding these mythical _"Tears of Anes"_, a gift from a god – no doubt a Goa'uld – who went AWOL afterwards. Anyway, the Tears were believed to possess unimaginable power and there were earlier records showing that the Tears do exist. Well, old man Negaii eventually found them after accidentally falling down a hole in the ground while on an expedition on some wasteland. The Tears were actually precious stones and these little babies are some of them."

"But the son made quite a huge fortune out of it," Sam said taking her wrist away from the lamplight, studying it away from the bright light.

"Not yet. Not at first," Jack answered and a puzzled frown swept across Sam's face. "Like you, all they saw were a bunch of rocks and the son, to insult his old man, strung the smallest ones he could find and made a bracelet out of it to remind him what an old fool dear Daddy was foolishly chasing a dream around the world. It took Artemio several years more to find out just how valuable the stones really were."

Sam mouthed the word "wow!" as she gazed wide blue eyes at the bracelet for the nth time. The jewels continued to sparkle with an inner light that was simply mesmerizing. She thoughtfully stared at the gift for a few seconds before she said something that totally caught him unawares. "I can't accept this, sir."

"What?" Jack blurted out.

A solemn Sam Carter presented her forearm to him to take the negaii off of her. "I can't accept this," she repeated a little louder, dead serious. "If this bracelet is, as you say, highly valuable then you should give it to someone in your family or put it away… make it a family heirloom or something."

"Carter," Jack sighed, exasperated. But she looked adamant and never made a move to put her arm away so he gently pushed it aside, with the back of his index and middle fingers, to properly look at his 2IC with a stern look of his own. "You _are_ family."

Sam began to protest but Jack quickly silenced her by raising a hand between them. "Ah-ah! I don't wanna hear any more "buts", major. It's yours. I gave it to you. And there it'll stay. Besides," he cautiously looked over his shoulder at the door behind him lowering his voice to a mere whisper, "I don't think red is Hammond's favorite color."

She chuckled when the colonel winked conspiratorially at her as he flashed one of his most charming smiles. Sam riveted her attention to the gift on her wrist and gasped. Jack also looked at it and saw the reason for her alarm: the sparkle was beginning to fade as it slowly went back to its original color. But instead of the mud color coating it previously had, a shade of the darkest red now hug her wrist.

"They said it's bound to happen," Jack said simply. "If it encountered strong, intense light for the first time whatever color appears will be a permanent one."

"Why?"

"Hmm?" Jack was staring at the negaii with a peculiar look on his face. "Oh! I dunno. Never bothered asking, really."

"Then how do you know what color is going to show up?"

"You won't," Jack said, bracing both forearms on the table and began swinging his chair left to right. "The stones only get their color once direct light's been applied to it combined with some other heat-whatsits. I must've zoned out after the first two sentences when they were trying to explain the physics behind the Tears and its various colors." Jack stopped swinging and rubbed his face lazily. "Never did like that particular subject. Physics."

He pushed himself out of his chair and beckoned, "C'mon, we'd better get moving. T and Daniel might be there already."

Sam gave a slight frown. "Where?"

"Jonas' quarters," the colonel replied over his shoulder as he headed towards the door. "Let's just say, it's got something to do with straightening some things out."

The major said nothing as she continued shutting off the computers.

"Carter, we're just going to have that long overdue chat with the kid," assured the colonel when he caught that look on her face before she could hide it. Concern. "That's all."

"Oh. Well, if that's the case - " she pushed the chair back and began tidying her desk a little. "Thanks again for the gift, colonel."

"You're welcome," he replied directing another smile at her. As he turned, Sam heard him mumble something under his breath she wasn't able to catch.

"Sir?"

"What?"

"You were saying something,"

"Oh… It's nothing."

Sam nodded her understanding and continued what she was doing. It was Jack who broke his own silence as he made an about-turn, retraced his steps and stood on the other side of the table from her.

"I was thinking how funny it was that the bracelet's color turned out red,"

Sam looked at him, confused. "Why?

"Well… I was thinking that it would turn… y'know… your color…" His hands made languid motions in the air. "Green."

Sam looked more confused than ever.

"Well, it's the color of your birthstone."

"What's that got to do with anything?" she inquired.

"Nothing. Nothing…" He was quick to answer, his voice lowering a notch with each word he said. "It's just that it'll pale by comparison to that humongous, microwave-destroying, homemade rock that that Ancient gave you all those years – " Jack blanched at that slip he made and quickly tried to save himself from embarrassment as he looked at her. "I didn't say green's a bad color. It's a nice color. Really. But red also looks nice on you. I mean, it makes me think of Proverbs…"

Sam's brows were rising higher and higher by the minute. _Proverbs?_

"Forget it," Jack gave up rather forlornly. "C'mon, Daniel and T might be wondering what's the hold up." He said with apparent nervousness and walked out the door not waiting for Sam at all as she stared agog after her commanding officer, trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about.


	27. Chapter 27

"_Your dreams are unique. No other individual can have your background, your emotions, or your experiences. Every dream is connected with your own "reality". Thus, in interpreting your dreams, it is important to draw from your personal life and experiences. _

_Remember that a dream unifies the body, mind, and spirit. It provides you with insight into ourselves and a means for self-exploration. In understanding your dreams, you will have a better understanding and discovery of your true self." _- introduction from the _dreammoods_ site

* * *

**27**

"_Oh, depart! You ghosts of night, nor do my baby harm…"_

"…_The magic bones are spread…"_

"…_has twisted the cord…"_

"_O you dead men, come not near…"_

"…_and you become strong and prosper…"_

"_My own, my dear, would die…"_

"…_those who utter spells against you will be closed. I know their name…"_

Dark green eyes opened up in near total darkness, pupils dilated.

"…_and may those whose names I know not, suffer also…"_

They blinked rapidly, trying to clear the cobwebs of sleep off of them as they instinctively started to look around.

"…_and that quickly."_

Jonas Quinn continued lying there unmoving while his eyes adjusted to what little light the room offered. He strained his ears to listen, to find out if there was anyone else there with him but he was pretty much alone in his quarters.

He thought he heard a noise. A whisper of sorts. Or was it also from his dream? And what _was_ he dreaming?

His dream. As if it had a mind of its own, the dream itself seemed to have detected his sudden interest on it and quickly tried to erase the last vestiges of itself from memory.

The more Jonas tried to chase it the more it rapidly dissipated, like a temptress who had no plans of being caged. It successfully eluded his futile attempts of capturing it to memory, silently laughing at him as it quickly retreated back to the darkest recesses of his subconscious mind, leaving nothing behind but a trail of frustration in its wake.

But as luck would have it, there was one image that he was able to grab onto. A little vague but solid in the sense that he could see what that image held. A small pendant in the image of a human hand, carved out from an obsidian shiny black stone of sorts, strung on a coarse string.

What it meant, Jonas had no idea or maybe it meant nothing at all. Maybe it was simply a random dream. Insignificant. But…

Jonas finally decided to let it go and get back to sleep. A few minutes more he gave up on that also. He looked at the time and groaned. He only had a little over two hours of sleep. This was not good.

With nothing left to do he slowly sat up and, conscious of how sore his body was, awkwardly ambled into the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, stood there for a minute before he began examining his face in the mirror in front of him.

Jonas was relieved to see that there was no telltale sign left of his combat lesson with Teal'c a few hours ago. He tentatively touched the skin below his left eye, the place where Teal'c's staff had accidentally struck him during training. Although the bruising was gone (which Jonas was thankful for because it would raise a lot of questions), the tenderness of the underlying tissue was bound to remain. But to the Kelownan's surprise, he felt no pain in that area at all.

_Maybe Teal'c didn't hit harder than we first thought, _Jonas told himself turning his face from side to side, trying to see if there was the slightest shadow of a bruise there.

Well it was his own doing. Last night was his very first training under Teal'c's tutelage. It had started out easily enough, with Teal'c teaching him the basics in defending himself in the present condition he's in. Jonas appreciated Teal'c's efforts, repaying it by taking to heart everything the Jaffa imparted.

Since Jonas had a knack of learning faster than the average human, it only took him less than an hour to finish the basics and wanted to learn more. Teal'c had qualms about it but Jonas had successfully convinced him in the end.

It was a rigorous training Jonas had to admit. If this was how Jaffa kids were brought up as soon as they could walk, it was no wonder why the Goa'ulds thought them very reliable foot soldiers. Resilient as hell and devoted to the core.

Their sparring became intense in the last few minutes with Jonas telling Teal'c not to hold back. It had been like that for a while when something caught the Kelownan's eye – a movement at the door leading to the gym locker room. The split-second Jonas took his eyes off Teal'c proved to be his biggest mistake and before the Kelownan could fend off his opponent's powerful attack, the left side of his face connected solidly with the end of the Jaffa's staff.

He lay winded on the ground for several seconds as Teal'c quickly bent over him, face full of concern. Jonas tried his best to appear unhurt as he quickly shook himself to wakefulness, seeing stars crowding his field of vision.

Teal'c sincerely apologized but Jonas would have none of it. As recompense, the Jaffa immediately put their training to an end, helped the Kelownan to his feet and into a nearby bench before leaving the room. Next thing he knew, Teal'c was shoving an ice pack into his hand that the Jaffa was able to request from the infirmary.

How he was able to get it out of the infirmary without raising a questioning brow from the staff there Jonas had no idea. But he was grateful for his friend's concern and a little embarrassed at being easily distracted like that. Teal'c merely dismissed it as fatigue and escorted the young man back to his quarters much to Jonas' mortification.

For what it's worth, the pack helped a lot in taking the swelling down to a minimum. If the others notice the bruising on his face he and Teal'c had a lot of explaining to do. Starting with Col. O'Neill.

Since sleep was long gone from his system, Jonas began to plan his day ahead. He had a lot of things to do: the translations with Daniel, the research papers for Sam, his individual mission report (he deemed it necessary to make one although it wasn't mandatory for non-base personnel) and others that he needed to write and handover. There was also one thing he needed to discuss with General Hammond while the officer was still free and not besotted with his usual busy work schedule.

Everything he needed was in his office. His office. If everything went out as planned, it won't be his office anymore before this day's through. Most of all, Jonas didn't feel like barricading himself there. He felt too isolated and far away from other people. He didn't want to be alone right now. Not when Rhougan's betrayal was still fresh in his mind. There was a gaping hole in his heart, a wound that wasn't about to go away anytime soon. Feeling and thinking about it was something the Kelownan wanted to spare himself from.

So where was he going to work then? Certainly not in Daniel's office nor Sam's. He needed some place where he could be near other people but, at the same time, not get in their way or become the center of their attention. He's contented with observing them while they do their work, hear the noise around him and basically just watch them run around the place. Also, he had to have easy access to the places where he might be needed because of his injury (come to think of it, it doesn't hurt as much as it did the night before).

He knew just the right place to go. He only hoped it was still okay with the general.

Jonas smiled. He hadn't done that kind of thing since he returned to Earth.

- - - o 0 o - - -

A couple of rapping sounds broke the stillness of the darkened room. Followed by another when there was no answer. A knob turned and the door slowly swung inward.

"Jonas?"

Jack's head slipped between the crack and took a peek inside, casting a long shadow on the dark room's flooring. Still no reply. He pushed the door wider so that Sam and Daniel, both flanking him, would be able to see inside while Teal'c patiently stood out in the hallway, facing the opposite wall of the corridor.

"Oh, Jonas?" Jack called out once again in a singsong voice. He called out again this time looking behind the door, having the funny notion that the kid was purposely standing behind it.

"Hellooo…"

When no Jonas Quinn came out, Jack took a minute to look inside the room like he was searching for something before turning back to the others to ask,

"We got the right room, _right_?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas looked at his bowl of grapes dejectedly. There were only a handful left and the commissary was a bit ways off. A few levels up, actually. He still wanted more but was not of a mind to bother Sgt. Siler again or anyone else for that matter.

So he had two options: one, he'd prolong the remaining grapes for as long as he could or; two, there was no holding back. In the end, Jonas only shrugged as he dipped his hand into the bowl and popped one into his mouth. _Why prolong them anyway?_ He thought as he unconsciously looked out the window at the Stargate, listening to a music genre Cassie had told him about. Alternative rock. He had to admit he's starting to like them but the classics were still his all-time favorite.

It was in this manner that Sam and the rest found their friend in as soon as they stepped inside the briefing room on Level 27.

Sporting the headset of the mp3 player Sam gave him over his ears, the slightly slouched form of Jonas Quinn was pensively looking out at the Stargate from the observation window. Clutters of books, notebooks and loose-leafs surrounded the young man who was occupying the chair on the other end of the 10-seater polished wooden table, directly opposite Gen. Hammond's.

Samantha Carter wasn't aware of it at the time but this particular scene had somehow imprinted itself in her mind that the next time she enter this room again, this picture of Jonas Quinn would swim into the surface unbidden.

"Oy," Jack grunted, breaking the silence in the room. "Took us a while to find you. Good thing Siler told us where you are," Jack slumped on the chair to Jonas' left as the others occupied the chairs around them.

"Good morning," Jonas greeted in return, prying the headset away from his ears and reached for his fruit bowl. "Grapes?"

"Don't mind if I do," Jack wiped his hands on the front of his dark blue BDU jacket before dipping his hand into the proffered bowl and popped a grape into his mouth. The rest declined shaking their heads.

"I wouldn't be surprised. The sergeant was the one who brought me something to eat a while ago."

Jack quirked a brow. "Oh? How long have you been here?"

"Two… almost three hours."

"Shouldn't you still be resting after all that… _excitement_… the other day?"

"I've rested. Really. It's just that I can't sleep anymore."

"So whatchadoin'?"

"Some paperwork for Sam and Daniel. I've been neglecting my assisting duties of late, colonel, I thought it prudent to keep myself up-to-date."

"What's this?"

Jonas saw the object that captured the colonel's interest. The Kelownan smiled wryly before snatching it out of Jack's grasp, placing it back on top of a tall pile of loose-leafs. "That's a paperweight."

"Weren't you assigned an office? We normally don't camp out here in the briefing room,"

Jonas looked nonplussed. "I have the general's permission, sir. And I have been _camping out _here since I first came to Earth. Everyone knows that."

A look of surprise spread across the colonel's face. He looked at the others. Daniel shrugged his shoulders while Sam wouldn't look him in the eye. Teal'c, in the meantime, returned Jack's look with a bland one. Jack sighed as he mumbled "_whatever"_ under his breath. "Anyway, come on,"

"Breakfast?" Jonas' face beamed at the prospect, a thing that hadn't gone unnoticed by the others.

"That _"happy place"_ is reserved for later," Jack snorted. "Bring everything if you like. We need to talk someplace else."

Jonas looked at the officer quizzically. "About what?"

Jack didn't answer and simply got up. The rest did the same making Jonas hasten his movements, gathering everything he had, if he didn't want to get left behind. Whatever it was it seemed pretty important enough for SG-1 to go search for him. Whatever it was Jonas had no idea.

Both Daniel and Sam came near to help him put everything he could cram into his oversized messenger bag as Teal'c simply stood behind Jonas' chair. The rest that couldn't fit in they carried instead and it was in this manner that Jonas noticed something rather familiar.

"Sam, where'd you get that?" Jonas inquired.

Seeing that the Kelownan was ogling at the negaii on her wrist, she quickly pulled the cuff of her sleeve trying to conceal it from view, flustered. "Oh, it's something Col. O'Neill brought back with him the other day."

A barely audible "oh" escaped Jonas' lips as he tore his eyes away from it only to stare at Jack's retreating back. There was an inscrutable look on his face as he sat there for a few more seconds before recollecting his thoughts and carefully began to stand with the help of an aluminum forearm crutch.

"How are you?" Sam asked.

"I've been worse,"

Sam looked sympathetic. "How's the ankle?"

"Healing quite nicely Janet told me. Although she said it was healing at a faster rate than normal. I can even put some weight on it now but I don't want to tell Janet yet. She might freak out."

Hearing the commotion behind him Jack turned. He saw Daniel and Sam now each carrying a bulk under their arm while Teal'c helped Jonas to his feet. The colonel observed this tableau silently. Seeing that they were all set, Jack continued walking towards the nearest elevator.

They entered Daniel's office and Jack situated himself on the biggest, most comfortable, chair in the room. "You skipped debrief last night,"

Jonas thanked the others for the help before answering the colonel with a shrug. "Janet had me ordered to go straight to bed, colonel. Otherwise, I am threatened with an overnight stay in the infirmary or more if she see fit."

"But that's not the reason for this little gathering we have," Jack said. Jonas said nothing, silently urging him to continue. He cleared his throat. "I think it's about time we had that long overdue chat." –Jonas frowned– "How about we start with, say, what happened when you were nine?"

Jonas clearly started at the older man's statement. Sam whipped her blond head at their commanding officer, eyes wide with disbelief while both Daniel and Teal'c completely had no idea as to what was happening, looking at the two men.

A hallow laugh escaped the Kelownan's lips. "What's this all about, colonel?"

"Sir," the major intruded softly, "I think we should let Jonas decide when–"

"I think now _is_ the time," Jack cuts in. "I do admit that there's still a lot of things we still don't know about you. And Daniel's right about one thing: we never asked. So we're asking now. Consider this our crash course in the "Getting To Know You" department. Jonas 101."

Stunned silence followed the colonel's statement. The Kelownan's smile disappeared altogether, replaced with a rather serious perusal of the four people there with him: Jack seemed determined as hell. Sam looked equally mortified. Daniel still didn't know what to feel while Teal'c sat there doing his best to understand what his friend was talking about.

"How did you know?"

"Your dear professor told Carter and I about it,"

"We really had no idea that he was going to tell us, Jonas." Sam apologetically said.

"So, my next question would be: Would you like to tell us now?"

"What's there for me to tell, colonel, when I couldn't remember any of it?"

It was Jack's turn to look taken aback. "What? Seriously?"

Finally at his wit's end, Daniel immediately interrupts. "Okay…" he slowly said, "You lost us. What's happening?"

The senior officer wore a "would-you-rather-I-tell-them" look as he faced the Kelownan. A heartbeat passed before Jonas shrugged again, waving a hand at the archaeologist's direction, indicating for the colonel to go right ahead.

When Jack finished, no one said anything for a while. Jonas felt four pairs of eyes glancing at his direction as he continued to stare in space.

"Those were based on survivor accounts and those published by the press. Dad filled me in with the manner in which I was found."

"So what do you remember?" Daniel asked.

It was only then that Jonas looked at them. "Waking up at the orphanage with no memory of what happened, or that of my past. Who I was. All the kids there thought me strange because I mostly kept to myself. But when I saw my father, I instantly knew who he was."

"Hang on," Daniel lifted a finger before Jonas could continue. "You mean, you don't remember anything prior to the attack? Anything at all?"

"Everyone, including me, thought that I was too young to remember then, but…" Jonas shrugged his shoulders in a distracted manner. "I don't know. Some things just didn't add up. I don't remember my mother at all, what she looked like, or what kind of mother she was. I don't even remember the house that we used to live in, even the names and faces of the people who claim to know me from that time. But father…"

"And you never questioned this memory?" asked Teal'c.

"No."

"What about relatives?" Sam inquired. "I mean to help you remember."

"Dad had none, as far as I know. And according to him, mother wasn't that close to her family either. Said they didn't approve of her choice of a husband, so she distanced herself away from them. Never heard from them since." Jonas stretched out his legs in front of him.

"And your father's name was Enosh, right?" Jack cuts in, a bit proud of himself at finally knowing something firsthand that the others didn't. "And that he was the one that discovered the Langaran Stargate and the temple of Thanos seventeen years ago."

"_What?"_ Daniel and Sam cried out in unison. An elegant brow rose up in surprise as Teal'c stared at Jonas.

"Our Stargate's discovery was around the time when the village was raided by the Andarii forces. Dad and Rhougan had been too caught up with it to the point that they wouldn't be coming home for days, quoting that they were "nearing the greatest discovery of our time.""

"Oh my god…" Sam was unable to hide her shock.

"So the satellite's… it… that's something…" Daniel stuttered. "Jonas, how come you never told us?"

"I_ tried_ telling the colonel but I didn't think it was that important. And you were also right, Daniel, it was partly because of its meaning, too." Jonas reassured the archaeologist. He had no desire to hurt Daniel's feelings. "Anyway, like I already told Daniel, my father died when I was fifteen and Rhougan automatically became my guardian. One of the two couples that wanted to adopt me then was Prof. Vinril and his wife. But my father's wishes were not to be contended with."

"I'm sorry about Rhougan," Sam softly said.

"Yeah," Jonas looked at her. "Me, too."

"Is that where bad blood between them started? Vinril and your aide?" Jack inquired.

"I'm not sure, sir."

"And you think Rhougan's got something to do with both incidents at Langara?"

"Frankly, I don't know what to believe anymore," Jonas sadly confessed.

"What if we tell you that he's got nothing to do with any of it?" Jack relented. "I lied. It wasn't only the debriefing that you missed last night. There are still some things that you don't know yet…" and they began disclosing the closed door meeting with Gen. Hammond and Maj. Davis.

Jonas was simply overwhelmed with the news. "A spy? Here? Inside Stargate Command?"

"We've already started a sweep of all recent personnel files," Daniel said. "It might help us pinpoint whoever it is."

"And you're certain that they also have one on Langara?"

"Donovan's people are the ones that we suspect but have to weed out their man here first." Jack added. "If you showed up last night, you would've known that despite what the professor accused him of, Dubois' got nothing to do with all that's been happening back there."

"If it is any comfort at all, Jonas Quinn, Rhougan Dubois was genuinely anxious to find you when you and Maj. Reynolds were both found missing from the Council." Teal'c seconded, one that which Jonas threw a startled look at him. "I do not think that it was, as what the Tau'ri would say, a "front" in hoping to deceive us."

Jack glanced at the Jaffa, as if to silently thanking him in supporting his statement. "I know it wouldn't change the past but at least you now know that he had no hand in any of it."

"NID, huh?" Jonas scratched his head in puzzlement. "And I thought headhunters were _the_ only ones I had to worry about."

"They are after the _Enosh_ but they don't need to have the satellite itself. They only want the schematics for the propulsion system," Jack explained. "Since I don't think they were the lucky ones that got it, they'd rather have you instead."

Silence.

"I want to help," Jonas finally said. "We can't let this person walk the hallways of the SGC any longer."

His friends began to protest.

"Jonas, you're already overloaded as it is," Daniel exclaimed.

"Yeah. You're spreading yourself too thin," Sam immediately agreed. "Aside from your ambassadorial responsibilities, you juggle what remains of your free time to work between me and Daniel. I mean, you _have_ to rest."

"I resigned my commission from the Council yesterday, major." Jonas replied amidst the shock that appeared on their faces. "I left the letter with Prof. Vinril. He'll make sure that it reaches the necessary people in our government. I have already spoken with the general and Maj. Davis about it because I intend to seek political asylum. After all that's happened, I don't think I want to get back to Langara anytime soon. They said they'd see what they could do."

The others exchanged worried glances. Jack cleared his throat. "Jonas, I know that Rhougan wasn't exactly the epitome of–"

"Colonel," Jonas quietly cuts in. "As much as I would like to stay in good terms with my government, I am simply tired of all these things being done behind my back by the very people that I trusted. At least here, at the Command, I know where I stand."

Another silence. SG-1 seemed to have finally understood where the young Kelownan was coming from and didn't dare contradict him thereafter. The four friends looked at each other again before turning their attention back to Jonas.

The archaeologist shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I just hope that it's the right decision, Jonas." He said contemplating.

"'Course it is," the colonel eyed Jonas. "This is where all the action is. Just like old times."

They all smiled at Jack's sudden outburst.

"Well, then," Jack finally spoke up but in a much lighter tone. "You're welcome to join the hunt. Start when you feel up to it, kid."

Daniel shook Jonas' hand. "Welcome aboard."

"Alright, it's settled then," Jack straightened up, putting the conversation to an end, idly scratching the back of his head. "So, who's up for breakfast?"

They all followed Jack out of the office and into the hallway, leaving all of Jonas' stuff behind. Strangely, Sam pulled Jonas back with her into the rear of the file letting the other three men lead the way. But before the couple knew it, Jack quickly turned and headed back towards their direction and stopped in front of Jonas.

"Before I forget," the officer said, his right hand extended palms up as he looked smugly at the younger man. "Hand it over."

Jonas only looked up at the colonel obviously at a loss to what Jack was asking from him.

"Dog tags. Give. Now."

"Major Reynolds told you," the kid asked clearly sulking. He took off the damaged dog tags and morosely placed it on Jack's palm. He helplessly followed it with his eyes and saw that Jack dropped it inside one of his breast pockets.

"You should've told me first," Jack suggested but his expression didn't give anything away to suggest if he was angry or otherwise before turning around to catch up with Daniel and Teal'c.

All Maj. Samantha Carter could offer Jonas was a friendly hug on his shoulders and a sympathetic look on her elfin face.

- - - o 0 o - - -

First Prime Kalen exited the palace and entered the western courtyard. This was where his master loved to spend his free time tending to exotic plants that were brought back from different parts of the galaxy. Although they had caretakers for each of the four gardens that surrounded the palace the System Lord still wanted to keep a personal eye on them.

At the very heart of this courtyard stood a single tree of more than sixty feet high with a spread growth of nearly seventy feet across. No other plant shared its place of more than a hundred feet on all sides. Its girth was about ten feet in diameter and the exterior coloring could be compared to that of newly sprung moss. Its low-lying branches were covered with dull silvery leaves that were oval in shape with a short "tail" at the end.

The System Lord was specifically fond of this plant, to the point where he even decreed that it was to be left well alone. He went as far as to saying that the tree, the _tho'r'sef_, was very special to him and that it needed special attention. Kalen had never seen another like it so he thought that it as a very rare type of tree that could only be found on some unknown planet that his master had gone before.

On one of the lowest branches (about eight feet from the ground) there sat the individual the Jaffa was looking for. The System Lord was perched on it with his back resting against the tree trunk. He held a Goa'uld reading tablet on one hand and a page-turner on the other.

Normally, if Lady Maya were there, she would settle herself on the ground at the base of the tree and calmly wait for him to finish. Sometimes, the wind would carry their conversation back to the palace and they could hear the two of them conversing in a friendly manner, sometimes punctuated by laughter and merriment.

It was something Kalen had been envious of. Lady Maya's relationship with his master was not, and would ever be, of the romantic sort. But their closeness was something the Jaffa knew he could never have. Although he knew the reason behind their friendship, he still could not dismiss the fact that next to her, he was a mere second best.

He quickly fell on one knee. "What is thy bidding, master?"

The young Goa'uld lifted dark eyes off the reading tablet to look down at the Jaffa. "How is the preparation for our sojourn to al-Kahira coming, First Prime?"

"Ahead of schedule, my lord. Within two days' time, we should be on our way."

"Belay that," the Goa'uld said, much to the Jaffa's obvious surprise. "I want you to prepare my ship fit for a four-day journey. I shall be accompanying Nibiru to the testing site."

Kalen hesitated at the news. "Not to disrespect my liege but I think that the evacuation of our people from the planet should be prioritized."

Instead of being angry at the Jaffa's audacity to counter his demand, the Goa'uld chuckled in amusement. "I know how you feel, Kalen. Rest assured, we will not leave him behind."

At this, his First Prime said nothing.

"Normally, I would have given this endeavor to Maya but she is not here. The information we could glean from this test is far more important than my own life, First Prime. So I decided on letting you head the evacuation in my stead."

Kalen bowed lower to the ground, verily humbled. "If you wish it so, master."

"I want to leave today, if that is possible," he said, going back to his reading, passing the page-turner over the tablet. "Notify me as soon as it is ready."

The Jaffa finally stood up and bowed his head again. "Yes, my lord."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I'd like to thank **_**Anonymous Shadow**_** for reviewing. I would've sent a more personal note to you but couldn't so I'm making it public. To the rest who still reads this crap, thanks a bunch. And to those who continue reviewing, my deepest gratitude to all of ya. I'd love to hug you guys for the enormous support you're giving (you know who you are). ;P **

**Content Warning: **A little Jack lingo ahead! No need to explain further.

* * *

"_It's an emergency! The coffee machine's broken."_

– a panicked coffee addict co-worker shouting down the hallway one Monday morning at work

* * *

**28**

For the past few days now the office Dr. Daniel Jackson was one of the most visited places within the mountain base. Not because it held within its walls something interesting but because it became a hive of activity for various purposes. The most recent addition to this list is the room being converted into a small headquarters for the hush-hush investigation SG-1 was conducting under General Hammond's permission.

There were two other individuals that joined them: Jonas Quinn and Lt. Tom Winston totaling their number to five. Sam was not with them because she was heading the Gate diagnostic checks with CMSgt. Harriman and the other Gate operators. Jonas Quinn was once again wearing BDUs of the same color as those of the members of SG-1 but devoid of the usual arm patches usually worn by all SGC personnel.

Computer terminals, extra chairs and lightings were added to those that were already in the office. Daniel tried to bring some semblance of order in the room but failed miserably. There was just too much stuff in there that it would most likely take days, not hours, for him to finish it.

Five grown men sat hunched over their assigned terminals staring at the monitors in front of them. While the others sat huddled up together at the center of the room, Lt. Winston settled himself at the farthest terminal he could find and silently began working.

The silence stretched on, punctuated only by clicks of a mouse, a tap on a keyboard, an occasional sigh or a cough, a lot of shuffling of boots against the concrete floor and of papers. Jonas was yawning from time to time.

When the Kelownan yawned yet once again Jack took this as his cue to speak up.

"This is pointless," the colonel complained. He pushed his chair back and stood up stretching stiff legs to encourage circulation on that part of his body. "We've been checking the same files for what? The tenth time now?"

Daniel, who knew that the complaint was directed at him, didn't even looked up from his computer screen. "We might've overlooked something."

Jack threw him a glowering look. "Daniel, we've been going over them for _three_ days now. If we overlooked something it surely would've appeared a long time ago!"

"It is possible that we may be searching in the wrong place, Daniel Jackson."

Jack waved both arms at Teal'c's direction for emphasis, wearing a "listen-to-the-man" expression on his face as he looked pointedly at the scientist. But Daniel's attention was still glued to the screen, tapping away at the keyboard.

"That's why I pushed the scope of our search another two years back."

"Well, that's a big help," Jack said sarcastically. "We'll have a bigger chance of finding someone writing down on their personal data under "Favorite Hobbies and Pastime": Works for the rogue NIDs on the side."

At this, Daniel stopped what he was doing and sighed loudly before looking up at Jack. "So, what do you suggest?"

"Lay a trap for the sucker! Something that he couldn't resist."

His friend looked intrigued. Well, half-intrigued. "And… what kind of trap do you have in mind?"

The colonel stopped short, face blank as he tried to come up with one. Jonas yawned in the background. "I got nothing... Not yet..."

Clear blue eyes narrowed visibly behind a pair of eyeglasses as Daniel cocked his head to one side, wearing a look that said, "I-knew-you-were-going-to-say-that".

"But it'll come." Jack quickly added with conviction as he haughtily looked at his friend.

"So, in the meantime," the scientist went back to work, typing away at the keyboard, an action that clearly meant that their conversation was at an end, "we do _this_."

Jack looked none too happy about it. If only the archaeologist was not his friend, Jack would've beaten the crap out of him. "Well, just so you know, it's the season finale of _The Simpsons_ tonight. Make sure I get home before it starts."

Daniel seriously looked back at him, one hand hovering over the Enter key. "You programmed your VCR to record it before you left this morning."

"I wanna watch it real time," Jack answered defensively. He was so irritated with the scientist for having the upper hand that he was ready pounce on anyone at the slightest provocation. Unfortunately, his attention was diverted by a movement in his peripheral vision and saw that Jonas was sleepily rubbing his eye. "Jonas, you've been yawning every ten seconds. Have you slept?"

The young man in question looked at them sheepishly. "A few hours. I was–"

"-surfing the Net and forgot the time, yadda, yadda!" Jack interrupted, knowing the other's answer by heart for the many times he heard the same line over and over. He looked at Jonas rather accusingly. "You've been surfing for three days now, if I recall. What are ya researching for that's too important not to sleep? Are you trying to memorize _everything_ on it?"

Jonas simply shrugged, at a loss for the sudden outburst of the senior officer. But Jack's tirade had only begun.

"And you," this time the colonel turned his attention to Teal'c who looked back at him. "You look like you could use one, too, T." Jack scrutinized the faint dark circles under the Jaffa's eyes, an indication that Jonas seemed to be not the only one staying up late.

Teal'c only raised a brow at this.

"And yes. You, too, Daniel," snapped Jack, pointing an accusing finger at the anthropologist. "You guys don't want me to tell Hammond to start implementing curfews on all of you now, do you?"

The bespectacled man was clearly caught unawares. He wanted to say something in defense to himself but changed his mind. Instead, Daniel pursed his lips together and just went back to work.

As if on cue, Maj. Samantha Carter, minus the sling, appeared at the doorway. Everybody looked up. Jonas yawned again, catching her attention.

"Hey, Jonas," she greeted, wearing a half-smile, half-frown look on her face. "You look like you could use some sleep." She saw the colonel rolling his eyes in exasperation while Jonas flashed a sheepish smile her way. "So, any luck?"

"Not when you have a nagging Jack breathing down your neck enough to distract you," Daniel muttered, but otherwise, kept his eyes averted. Jack whipped his head at him but said nothing.

"If you want you can take Jonas' place, Carter. He looked like he'd be dropping off any minute now."

At this point, Jonas was having a difficult time staying awake and gladly gave up his chair to her. He lazily stretched his aching muscles and began walking around, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. He no longer had any need for crutches as his ankle was by now completely healed. "How's your investigation coming along, Sam?"

"We found a couple of unknown transmissions that were highly suspect. Walter and his team are deciphering them right now."

Jonas was by now standing by one of the shelves that surrounded the room just behind Daniel, half-listening to the conversation going on in earnest. He was skimming through rows of books when something caught his eye. "I never knew you have a copy of Dr. Covid's _A History of Kelowna_, Daniel. It's the most accurate historical record of our country to date."

Daniel scrutinized the open book on Jonas' hand. "Jack gave it to me. He got it the last time you were in Kelowna. And Teal'c…"

"O'Neill had brought me a rug whose purpose is to be hanged on the wall."

"Oh," Jonas said looking sideways at the colonel who looked preoccupied at patting down the pockets of his BDU. "Really? I should've thought of bringing something back for you guys but–"

"Hey, Jonas,"

Something came hurtling through the air towards the young man. He instinctively reached out to catch it and found a black velvet pouch resting in his hand.

"Well, go on!" urged Jack when the Kelownan simply stared at it. "Open it. It won't bite."

Jonas gave the colonel a puzzled look. He placed the book back on the shelf and opened the pouch to see what was inside. His puzzlement turned to complete astonishment as he upended the pouch and out came a shiny new set of dog tags.

"The one you broke was beyond repair so they had to replace it," Jack explained nonchalantly, studying Jonas' face which was, at the moment, a mixture of expressions too many to describe.

Jonas continued staring at it, very much speechless.

Jack purposely ignored the knowing smiles directed at him as he continued, "And if I hear you doing anymore _MacGyverisms_ with it, I will personally see to it that you die a harrowing death. But not before I kick your butt from here to Kelowna and back again. Understood?"

As if suddenly waking up from a dream, Jonas blinked dark green eyes at Jack's direction. He eagerly nodded again and again. "Yes, sir. Thank you, colonel."

The four friends looked on as Jonas quickly stashed the precious gift inside his black undershirt, looking down at it, affectionately patting its reassuring bulk through the front of his jacket but froze as soon as he felt he was being watched. "I was only taking out the creases," he said, visibly reddening around the neck.

Sam surmised that the kid needed rescuing right about now. She cleared her throat. "So, Daniel," she began, winking conspiratorially at Jonas. "I heard SG-2 found another plate similar to the one you found on '767?"

"Yes. P2S-059. Gen. Hammond informed me this morning," Daniel said. "They're due back in a few minutes."

"How's Lt. Edrald?"

Everyone stared at Jonas in a rather funny way, even the silent Lt. Winston. "What?"

"Jonas, Edrald's been promoted," Sam answered. "He's a captain now."

"You don't know?" Daniel asked when they saw the look of astonishment on Jonas' face.

"I… had no idea. I only saw Aidan a couple of times since coming back here but we never really got the chance to talk." Jonas paused a few seconds, letting the news sink in. "Really? He's a captain now?"

"Captain Edrald was formally presented with the rank a few days after you returned to Kelowna, Jonas Quinn."

"So I'm the only one who hasn't congratulated him, then."

"Oh, don't worry," Daniel said. "You'll get your chance in a few minutes."

"If he got promoted I'm sure Lt. Griffith did, too?"

"Yeah," Sam answered, nodding.

Jonas grunted. "Weren't any of them got offered another assignment on other SG teams or head one themselves? I mean, two captains in a team?"

"What's wrong with that?" Jack asked curiously.

"It's just unusual."

"Huh?"

"Well, I was merely assuming. An SG team is comprised of a CO, his 2IC, a lower ranking officer and a civilian scientist."

"What's your point?"

"There's a possibility of dispute between two people of the same rank on the same team so one of them has to step back and allow himself to be reassigned to another team, thus, opening a spot for another of lower rank. Most likely, a lieutenant." Jonas explained. "You can't retain both of them without getting a fifth member to occupy the lower rank spot or remain a three-man team if they decide not to replace the one that left. It would go against the "four members only in a team" policy."

"Huh?"

"Jonas, a team can have two officers of the same rank. It's just a matter of recognizing one's seniority over the other." Sam explained.

"Like I said, it's just unusual. Most especially here at Stargate Command."

"What?"

"Never mind," the Kelownan said, trying really hard not to roll his eyes in exasperation. "So, what about that plate you're talking about?"

Daniel reached out to one of the side tables that lined the office wall and brought to their attention an object wrapped in a dark gray cloth as he began to explain the circumstances behind its discovery on P8D-767.

"A headhunter?" Jonas was clearly alarmed. This was the first time he'd heard of it and was shocked to have known that it happened around the same time he and Maj. Reynolds were kidnapped on Langara.

"Oh, don't worry. Daniel took care of him," Jack casually said and his next question clearly veered away from the current topic they were discussing. "We really have a policy like that here at SGC?"

"I don't know. But I thought it was some kind of an unspoken rule." Jonas looked sideways at him. "Do you see any SG team with members that are not comprised of four around?"

"No… but that doesn't necessarily mean that we can't, y'know… have a three-man off world team," Jack said, left eye twitching instinctively. "Or a fifth for that matter." His comment raised eyebrows around the room as they all looked at Jack who returned theirs with a "What?" look of his own.

"Anyway," Daniel cleared his throat, unwrapping the cloth to reveal the flat metal-like object he found. Necks craned for a closer look. "This is it."

Jack, not satisfied with seeing it from afar, left his post to stand beside him. "So what is it?"

Daniel paused, puckering his lips as he thought. "I haven't got the slightest clue…" and looks uncertainly at Jack.

The colonel grunted as he picked the plate up. Everyone watched him wrinkle his brow at it for a closer inspection and began turning it round and round his hands. "I see nothing special about it, Daniel," he commented. "How can you be sure this thing's an artifact besides finding it on another planet?"

Col. O'Neill raised it high above his head to look at it from that perspective. Unsatisfied, he then placed it under the intense glare of the lamp beside them, its light bouncing off the walls reflected by the object's smooth surface. He was no doubt aware of Daniel's indignant glare but completely ignored him as the colonel continued to subject the plate under intense scrutiny. "Just because it was perched on a pedestal of sorts doesn't necessarily equate to it being galactic-ally important."

Sam shook her head helplessly, Teal'c lifted a delicate brow in his usual expression of annoyance towards their CO before returning to what he was doing and Jonas stood staring fixedly at the object that had Jack completely preoccupied.

Another grunt came from Jack, eyes never leaving the shiny metal-like object. "For all we know, this might just be plain and simple scrap metal. There's nothing to study at all, Daniel. No markings, no scratches, no writings–except for these tiny holes hammered halfway through on some of the sides."

The scientist made an attempt at grabbing it away from him. "Just because–"

An ear-splitting _thwack!_ nearly made everyone jump as Daniel gasped in alarm, looking completely horrified. Jack slammed the object against the table's edge and was intending to go for another swing when Daniel quickly snatched it away from his destructive hands.

"Just because you _can't_ see anything on it,"–Daniel growled, clutching the plate close to his person as he stared sideways in a threatening manner at Jack, presenting his back to him–"doesn't mean that it's worthless."

Jack wore an all too innocent look on his face. "Hey, I was merely stating a fact, Daniel–"

"Are you well, Jonas Quinn?"

The simple inquiry from Teal'c stopped everyone from what they were doing and diverted all eyes at the man in question. The two men butting heads with each other had completely forgotten what there were arguing about and looked at Jonas who was standing by the shelves, still staring at the plate on Daniel's hands.

Jonas Quinn looked ill. A thin film of sweat appeared on his upper lip and there was a glazed look in his green eyes. He snapped at the sound of his name. It was only then that he noticed everyone was looking curiously up at him. He flustered at the attention.

"Yeah," Jonas replied, laughing nervously. "I just feel… hot." He turned his head to one side prying the front of his undershirt away from him. He licked lips that were surprisingly dry and once again cleared his throat. "Don't you?"

They looked at each other and saw Jonas wobble a bit as he attempted to push himself away from the shelves.

"Jonas?" Sam called out to him, concern written all over her face seeing his pale countenance.

Jonas swayed dangerously on his feet. "I think… I… need to sit…"–and then without warning his knees buckled from under him–"…down."

Jack cried out catching Jonas as he staggered sideways. Daniel was immediately on the phone calling the infirmary while Teal'c and Sam quickly scrambled towards them.

As Jack cradled Jonas' head on his lap as he exchanged worried glances with the other two. Daniel hadn't seen the exchange, as he was bent over an unconscious Jonas Quinn, checking for a pulse.

The tension was only shattered by the Gate klaxon ringing out the hallway.

- - - o 0 o - - -

It was another day in the naquadah mines of al-Kahira.

The Tok'Ra Malek carefully maneuvered their burden through the crowded camp. Taking up the rear was a contrite-looking Nee'chos.

It had been days since they were returned back to their tent as Maya had promised. It took them two days to recuperate from their injuries. Another to completely regain their strength back. And during those times, they'd been under constant watch both by the Jaffa guards and the prisoners, but they were nothing like Nee'chos, the most persistent of all. He wouldn't let the Tok'Ra out of his sight and followed him everywhere.

He was driven by guilt. That much the agent knew. He didn't have to say it. The way he behaved around them was enough. Malek tried to reassure the young Jaffa that everything was all right without any danger of divulging what exactly happened during the "interrogation" he underwent but it, as predicted, had fallen on deaf ears. So Malek never dared broach the subject again and simply lets him wallow up in his guilt.

Although, there were times when Malek found the shadowing bothersome, it was most comforting to know that someone was looking out for them. Now all the Tok'Ra had to think abour was their escape from this wretched place.

Were they going to be rescued from this place? Or would they have to do it themselves?

He was so engrossed with his own line of thought that he only caught the tailend of Nee'chos' warning. Malek quickly looked around and saw what the Jaffa was talking about. He nearly collided with another pair of prisoners that were also carrying their own bundle of raw naquadah but was quick on pulling the stops. He felt the litter behind him lurch as the forward motion came to a sudden halt.

"Is something the matter, Malek?" Nee'chos quietly called out to him from behind. "You seem to be distracted these past few days."

The Tok'Ra turned his head to look over his shoulder at the Jaffa holding the other end of the litter, pulling a slight smile on the corner of his lips, as he nodded. "I am. Do not worry." And once again went on their way.

A pause. "Are you still having trouble sleeping?" There was an underlying hint of remonstration in the young Jaffa's voice.

"A little," Malek admitted, eyes focusing once more on the path ahead of the. "But it is nothing that I cannot han–"

_[ Rebel, can you hear me?_

Malek faltered as he heard the familiar voice of Maya in his head. He nearly tripped but managed to compose himself before Nee'chos could interpret it as something sinister and continued walking as if nothing happened.

_[ What is it?_

There was a pause. _[I have been trying to contact you since yester eve._

_[ We decided on taking the device off when we have no need of it._

_[ How are you?_

The question took them clearly by surprise. Malek frowned. _[ Maya, can you not see that we are busy?_

_[ Tok'Ra have no sense of humor, _she taunted. When Malek continued keeping his silence, she continued but in a more serious tone. _[ It has been many days since I sent out that message to your people. Are you certain they will come to your rescue?_

_[ It is expected. It may take some time before the message reach them. There are no Tok'Ra bases near the address I have given you._

_[ Security purposes,_ Danem quickly seconded.

_[ I see… _Maya answered slowly, contemplating. _[ Tell me. You have recalled meeting Egeria. When was that?_

Malek frowned at the innocent enough query. _[ Many months ago._

_[ You jest!_

_[ Why should we?_

She said nothing for a while. _[ How is that possible? She was captured and executed after her defeat at Ra's hands._

_[ That was what Tok'ra also initially thought. But there were some of us who believed that our Queen was not killed, that she was merely imprisoned somewhere._

_[ So who found her? The staunched believers that she's still alive or those that want to make sure that she's very much dead and buried?_

_[ Neither, _Malek replied. _[ Can we discuss this some other time? This conversation is distracting us from our duties._

_[ Fine, _she said brusquely. _[ Just make sure that they arrive before my people do. Otherwise, all will be for not._

They thanked her when Malek suddenly had an idea. _[ Maya? When we escape this place, come with us. _There was no answer. _[ I feel that we owe you this courtesy. As a certain individual would say, "Nobody gets left behind."_

_[ I appreciate the sentiment, Tok'Ra, but I am staying right where I am._

_[ Very well, _Malek quietly said. _[ However, if you change your mind–_

_[ And what? Be a host to a symbiote? I'm not a suitable candidate and will never be, Tok'Ra. But your offer of refuge I shall keep in mind._

- - - o 0 o - - -

He felt funny. He felt warm. And the light that penetrated through closed lids hurt his eyes.

Jonas got his first glimpse of his whereabouts through partially opened lids. At first, everything was a blur then as his eyes blinked rapidly the clarity of vision steadily returned. The sterile smell that reached his nostrils sent a message to his brain backing up what he was seeing already: the all too familiar gray walls of the SGC infirmary.

It wasn't a good sign. Well, finding oneself occupying one of the beds in this infamous section of the base never was.

Completely baffled as to how he ended up there, Jonas tried to recount the last thing he remembered before waking up. He needed to sit down and that's exactly what he told them. Before that, he remembered Daniel showing off his latest acquisition. A shiny brass colored metal-like plate from a previous trek on some planet where a headhunter was there laying in wait for them.

For some unknown reason, looking at it made him lightheaded. He was completely mesmerized by it. Felt like it was calling him to him, urging for him to touch it. And he found it a little disturbing.

"Hey,"

Jonas started at the sound and noticed how close it was. Looking around he saw the familiar, yet estranged, form of Aidan Edrald.

"Hey," Jonas croaked, flashing a weak smile at the Air Force officer perched comfortably on the empty bunk next to him.

"SG-1's with the general and Dr. Fraiser if you're looking for them," Capt. Edrald began, jumping down from his perch to offer Jonas a glass of water, carefully maneuvering the straw towards the Kelownan's parched lips. "They asked if I could stay with you for a while, make sure you wake up with a friendly face beside you."

Jonas thanked him and watched as Aidan hopped back onto the bunk. "How long was I out?"

"Two hours. They were wheeling you in as we were reporting for our post-mission physical." Jonas noticeably blanched at the news. "What happened?"

"I don't know. One minute I was inside Daniel's office with SG-1 and the next thing I knew I was here." Jonas lied. He didn't know what else to say because he honestly doesn't know what caused it.

"Well, whatever it was certainly scared the hell out of them," Edrald confided critically giving Jonas a once-over. "Most especially the colonel. I've only seen him look like that once. Years ago."

Jonas let the comment pass, studying his friend's BDU as if he could see some physical evidence of the news he heard about him earlier. "Sam told me you're a captain now."

"You're my lucky charm, Jonas. Or is it Ambassador Quinn now?" Edrald teased.

"I stepped down from it, Aidan. It wasn't for me." Jonas confessed. "Sorry if we haven't been able to talk till now. I was busy."

Edrald looked incredulously at him. "Who hasn't? Dr. Jackson's been making us run around the galaxy to recon all those Gate addresses on one of those stelae he found."–his voice undeniable dropped into a conspiratorial whisper–"Don't tell Daniel I said so, okay?"

Jonas smiled his understanding. Hearing Edrald call the anthropologist by his first name could only mean that the captain was already on friendly terms with Daniel and, most probably, with SG-1. It was another reason for the Kelownan to smile despite his present predicament. "You said it was because of me that you get to be captain…"

They heard voices outside the hallway and they seem to be coming closer. They both looked up. Capt. Edrald jumped from the bed as soon as he saw Gen. Hammond enter the room followed by SG-1.

"Ah. I see Sleeping Beauty's finally awake," the colonel said, in way of greeting. "Hey, Edrald."

Edrald smiled at them before turning his attention to the petite woman. "How's Jonas, Dr. Fraiser?"

"Fine. At the moment, " she answered, patting her patient's arm in a motherly fashion. "I'm still waiting for the MRI and the bloodwork to return."

Jonas tried to make light of the situation. "It was a mere spell, I assure you. I haven't exactly slept right for days. But I feel fine now."

His assurance convinced no one.

"Jonas, you were catatonic for nearly an hour." Sam told him. "That alone says that something's not right." Jonas missed the glances being exchanged above him as he rubbed his face in a tired manner.

"Look, mere spell or no, you stay right there until Janet's satisfied with the results." Jack ordered. "That's what you get for not sleeping proper," he added. When Jonas shook his head unbelievably, the SG-1 leader turned to Gen. Hammond for support.

"I suggest you do what the colonel tells you, son." Hammond looked sideways at Jack. "Or I might give in to Col. O'Neill's request of implementing a curfew."

The Kelownan couldn't believe he was hearing this! It was no fun being ganged up like this. He was hoping they 'd give him some slack. Without thought, Jonas reached up to grasp the tags through the shirt he was wearing, visibly sulking.

The Gate klaxon broke the silence of the room for the second time that day.

The colonel groaned. "Now what?" As he was about to follow the others out of the room, he saw Jonas sitting up. "And where do _you_ think you're going?"

Jonas strained against the Air Force officer's hand, pinning him down. "The control ro–"

"You stay right here!" Jack sternly commanded but Jonas grabbed the arm that was holding him down. Thinking that the young man was trying to break free of him, he growled. "_Dammit! _Jonas–"

"Promise me you'll get away from the ship,"

Jack froze. Jonas' dark green eyes were dilated and glazed. They were not exactly staring at him. _What?_

"Promise me, colonel." Jonas whispered, pleading. He gripped the colonel's wrist tighter until the knuckles in his hands were white. The Gate klaxon continuously rang in the background.

"Kiddo–"

"_Promise me!_" the Kelownan said again, a little louder and more urgent than ever. Jonas nearly lifted his upper body off the bed despite the pressure Jack was already exerting.

The colonel had no idea what the young man was talking about but from the tortured look on the kid's face it was something that definitely scared him. He had never seen Jonas like this before.

"I promise," Jack said soothingly, trying to calm down a clearly distraught Jonas Quinn, although, he had no idea what the kid was talking about. "Now stay here and get some rest. I'll head out to the Gate room, see what's going on."

As if by some sort of magic, Jonas' face relaxed once he heard the colonel's promise. He slumped back down on the bed, closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.

Jack stood there for a second staring at him, the corner of his left eye twitching. He was trying hard to understand what just happened, what caused the outburst and what the heck Jonas was talking about in the first place.

He wasn't able to go far on his musings as the klaxon sliced through his thoughts making him remember where he ought to be. He'd reserve the analyzing for later and as he walked out of the room, Jack could help glancing at the sleeping figure on the bed one last time. The tortured look on Jonas' face once again floated to the surface, giving Jack an eerie sense of foreboding. But maybe it was nothing. After all, Jonas isn't exactly human. Maybe Kelownans have a different reaction to catatonia than Earthlings.

The iris was just retracting from the event horizon when Jack arrived at the Gate room. Besides the usual platoon of SFs, Gen. Hammond and Maj. Ferretti were already standing by the end of the ramp. The others, consisted of Sam, Teal'c, Daniel and Edrald, remained in the control room watching the goings on through the view port.

The two USAF officers turned as he entered, wearing questioning looks on their faces. Jack could only wince as he stood beside the general. "So, who is it?"

Ferretti, who moved to stand beside him, sported a big smile on his face. "Oh, you'll gonna _love_ it!"

Jack stared at his old friend's odd behavior and was about to say a snide remark when the first of their guests stepped out of the event horizon.

A fair-haired, slender, young Tok'Ra male appeared at the platform ramp. Jack had never seen him before and watched as this visitor calmly looked around. He didn't walk down the ramp, obviously waiting for another Tok'Ra to appear. And when it did, there were two of them.

One was a male, heavyset and dark while the other…

Jack stood there watching their guests walk down the ramp towards them. He never met the other male, either. It was their third companion, a female, that left him speechless.

After greeting the general and Ferretti respectively, she turned her attention on the colonel. Jack quickly regained control of his senses and forced a mechanical smile that never quite reached his honey brown eyes.

"Anise," Jack greeted, noticing that both the general and Ferretti were looking oddly at him. There was an undeniable underlying hint of dislike in his voice as he added, "what a pleasant surprise!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Content Warning: **Some swearing ahead!**  
**

**29**

As soon as briefing was dismissed, Jack immediately headed out to the locker room to prepare for the off world mission with the Tok'Ra. Daniel wanted to come but Jack had other plans for the young man and that was to keep Daniel at the base where it was safe. There was the headhunter issue still hanging over his head. The officer wasn't taking any chances of another run-in with them and wanted to keep it that way despite Daniel's repeated protests.

As he watched Daniel's retreating back (amidst the glowering looks the archaeologist threw at him) the colonel could only shake his head in disbelief. Did Daniel really think he was going to let him come with them?

At least, Jonas wasn't that stubborn.

Jack showered and dressed, ready to meet the others at the Gate room when he remembered something and started rummaging through the contents of his locker. He was in the thick of it when he sensed a presence nearby. He turned his head a fraction to his left and, true enough, there was someone standing behind his locker door wearing a pair of dark blue BDU pants and military-issued boots. Even without that much to go on Jack already had an inkling as to the identity of the wearer.

"Daniel," Jack said with a hint of annoyance. Daniel wasn't the type to just give up that easily, "how many times do I have t–Oh. Jonas."

Then again, maybe not.

"Colonel,"

"No."

The Kelownan blinked in surprise as he looked questioningly at him.

The colonel saw that one coming: the innocent, wide-eyed look that Jonas was notorious for among other things. Actually, Jack would be very disappointed if he didn't. Daniel tried using his long-faced, hurt puppy-eyed look on him earlier, too, but not too potent enough to make him change his mind. And Jonas' wasn't going too, either.

"As I've told Daniel, you two are not coming with us," Jack said, flat outright. "You stay right here where it'll be safe. No running around the galaxy while there a nameless Goa'uld after the two of you. Not to mention, headhunters in his payroll."

Jonas Quinn stood there contemplating. "Okay," he finally said, shrugging nonchalantly. "But that's not what I came here to talk to you about."

"Really?"

"I completely understand where you're coming from, colonel. So you don't have to worry about me." Jonas reassured him. "I, on the other hand, am worried about you."

"Me?" Jack said. "Okay. But first lemme ask you something…" After making sure there was no one else in the room with them, he continued. "Back at the infirmary you warned me about a ship and that I should stay away from it."

"A ship?"

"Yeah. Don't you remember?"

Jonas regarded him quizzically. "What else did I say?"

"That's it. You just went right off to sleep after making me promise to stay away." An "are-you-pulling-my-leg" look was clearly written all over Jonas' face. Jack's frown deepened. "You really don't remember?"

The kid slowly shook his head. "Last thing I remembered was the Gate klaxon going off and that I tried coming with you but you wouldn't let me."

Jack scrutinized the kid's dark green eyes but found nothing that would suggest he wasn't telling the truth. Instead, the officer pursed his lips and continued checking out the insides of his locker.

"Sly move you had there, colonel, giving it to her."

"Gave what to whom?"

"Sam. You gave her a negaii."

"Oh,"

"Oh?" Jonas repeated, wearing an all too serious "is-that-all-you're-going-to-say" look.

"Oh. As in, yes, I did." Jack repeated, looking back at him. "That "Oh". What's wrong with that?"

"From where I come from, a negaii isn't something we give out so callously, colonel. It's more complex than that."

Jack threw a scorching look his way. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why do you think they are highly valuable to the people of Langara?" Jonas combed his hair in frustration, so troubled he was, he even missed the irritation in Jack's voice. "You've no idea what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself–and Sam–into, _sir._"

"Enlighten me," Jack sarcastically said. "You have,"–he glanced at his watch–"one minute."

"Colonel, this is serious!" Jonas was completely irked with the way Jack was becoming his usual irritating self.

"So am I. SG-1's about to leave with the Tok'Ra in a few and if you say "serious", "idea" and "know" all in one sentence I swear I will put you in the brig myself."

"Okay," Jonas calmed down, trying to recollect his thoughts. Just barely. "What did they tell you about it? About the negaii?"

Jack told him exactly what the people at the Council told him.

"Hmm… Pretty straightforward enough. Of course, that was just the basic stuff." Jonas finally said when the colonel finished. "I can't believe that they'd forget to tell you the specifics."

"What?" Jack asked curiously. He ushered Jonas out of the locker room and into the hallway.

"The Council. What did they ask you?"

"They wanna know who I wanna give it to. I told them to a lady friend of mine," Jack cast a sidelong glance at Jonas only to find him wincing at his words. "What?"

But the young man seemed not to hear him. "When the color first appeared after you placed it on direct light was it a dull, clay-like red? Or was it bright and shiny?"

Jack shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Colonel, please. Try to remember–"

"Okay!" Jonas' mounting anxiety was contagious. Jack rubbed his brow in distraction. "Bright and shiny."

"Bright and shiny…" Jonas muttered.

"I just said that." But Jonas seemed not to hear him.

"Did she put it around herself or–" Jonas suddenly felt himself being whipped around to face the colonel with the latter tightly grasping the front of his jacket, shaking him madly til his teeth rattled.

"_Jonas_," Jack growled menacingly. "We are _not_ taking another step further if _you_ don't stop beating around the bush and just get on with it!"

"That's why I need to know who placed it on–"

"_I did_, all right!"

A noise in the hallway intruded their animated discussion. They both turned and saw a base personnel walking towards them, staring. Aware of their compromising position, Jack immediately released the kid and began smoothing the front and dusting off both shoulders of the kid's jacket before turning around to resume walking, pulling a serious-looking Jonas along with him.

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud, Jonas! Will you _please_ lighten up? It's just a bracelet." Jack exclaimed as soon as they turned a corner to another empty hallway. He couldn't understand why the kid's so worked up about it. "It's not like I gave her a ring and asked for her hand in marriage."

Jonas coughed loudly beside him and avoided looking at the colonel altogether.

Jack suddenly felt wary. "Why do I get the distinct feeling that I'm not going to like whatever you're gonna say next? I'm having this weird, creepy kind of feeling." His hands made motions in the air as he said this.

"Because you took the words right out of my mouth."

Jack halted all of a sudden and Jonas had to double back. "Excuse me?"

"That's exactly what a negaii is, colonel. It's our version of Earth's engagement ring." Jonas finally revealed. "And you just happen to give one to the major. Is a congratulations in order, sir?"

Neither said anything as Jack studied the young man's face. "You're kidding, right? This is a joke, isn't it?"

"I'd love to say "yes", colonel. Really, I do."

It was as if a pail of freezing ice-cold water was dumped unceremoniously over his head, Jack could only stare at him in disbelief. This wasn't happening. No. Couldn't be. But the look on the young man's face was so convincing, the only thing that he could think about was that, it had to be real.

"Then why the hell'd they give _me_ that?" Jack spat, his voice rising in intensity. "If I wanted to marry someone, _I'd_ like to know it first!"

"You gave them the appropriate answer, colonel. A "lady friend" in Kelowna is equivalent to a special someone like a girlfriend, a partner, a lover, a significant other." Jonas explained. "There are different colors for different sorts of people. Red… well, universal color. Figure that."

"Oh, that's why they all looked funny at me when I asked them if I could have three more…" Jack swore savagely. "Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that?"

"You should've asked me first, colonel." Jonas snapped his fingers as realization dawned on him. "Of course! They thought I told you all about it."

"Which_ you_ should have!"

"I didn't know they were going to give you _that_!"

Jack's eye twitched instinctively as he swore some more. He wanted to throttle the kid so badly but thought better of it. He grabbed Jonas by the arm and once again resumed walking. The anxiety that Jonas was exhibiting earlier was now completely transferred to Jack.

No. He was already past anxiety and well into getting downright distraught.

"Jonas," Jack growled low. "Remind me to kill you when I get back."

The kid was smiling despite the threat to his life. "Yes, sir!"

Jack couldn't help chuckling a little, hearing the buoyant lilt in the young man's voice as he said it, lifting the tension a little. "So…" he began, releasing the hold he had on the kid's arm. "What are we going to do?"

Jonas looked at him incredulously. "_We_, colonel?"

"Of course, we–"

"In the first place, sir, there is no "we" here. _You_ gave it to her."

"I thought it was just some stupid gift."

"Yes, you thought."

"Hey," Jack butted in, looking cross. "You're pushing it!" He wasn't used being at the receiving end of a wash down and he had no intention of starting now.

Jack rubbed his face frustratingly, looking up at the ceiling. "What else could possibly go so wrong today?"

"Well, on the bright side, you're safe as long as you don't return to Langara–"

"Who said anything about us ever going back there?"

"–because once they start greeting Sam of her engagement, seeing that she's wearing a negaii, you are, suffice it to say, in a whole lot of trouble."

"Do you really have to rub it in?" Jack asked sarcastically. "There must be something we can do."

"You can always tell her,"

"What, are you crazy?"

"Colonel, think about it. Everyone'd be much better off if the major knows. That way, she'd be prepared to conceal it when you happen to visit Langara–"

"Again, who said anything about us getting back there?" Jack grinded out the words with deliberate slowness.

"–avoiding a major incident."

"No," Jack stubbornly said. "How about not mention anything to Carter about this. At all."

The Kelownan adamantly shook his head in return. "Not an option."

Jack sighed. "Jonas, you're not making things easier here."

"Okay. Let's say we do things your way. But what about Daniel?"

"What about him?"

"You gave him Covid's book. And I think I mentioned that it's our most concise history book to date?"

Jack swore for the nth time. "Then we'll tell him."

"Why not tell Teal'c, too?" Jonas teased, a smile blossoming on his boyish features. "It's only logical, colonel."

Jack was, by now, hard-pressed not to give in to the urge of throttling Jonas right there. "You're getting a real kick out of this, Jonas, I can see that. And I thought you were here to help me?" he said accusingly, feigning hurt.

Jonas shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, you can't take it back from her without raising any questions, that's for sure. So I strongly suggest that you be the one to tell her first before someone else does. The major might even thank you for it. Do you still have the ring?"

Obviously, Jack knew what he was talking about and quickly nodded. "It looks exactly just like that big ol' ring of yours. Where is it anyway?"

"Somewhere safe," was all that Jonas was willing to disclose. "Did you show it to the major? To anyone else? No? Good. Let's keep it that way."

"So what should I do about it?"

"Keep it, hide it but don't lose it. You do have the option to or to not wear it, colonel, unlike the bracelet. Once it's there, it's there. Unless of course her feelings change or something bad happens…" Jonas quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, I suppose it's okay for you to wear it here but I wouldn't recommend it. It's what men wear during the whole engagement pr–"

"Will you stop,"–Jack's voice started out louder than normal but curbed it down as soon as he realized what he was doing–"using_ that_ word?" His frayed nerves couldn't take it any longer.

Jonas looked at him askance and shrugged. "It can't be helped, colonel. Would you like me to use the words "betrothal", "espousal" or "promised" instead?" He tried to show a straight face but failed miserably as a smile kept tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Interchangeably, of course."

The kid's smarminess, and that barely (emphasize on _barely_) showing smile, wasn't helping. Jonas was doing this on purpose. The colonel would bet his entire _Simpson_'s collection on it. Under normal circumstances, Jack wouldn't let the kid get away with it that easily but he, at the moment, still needed Jonas alive and very much in one piece. "Just keep your voice down, all right?"

Once again, Jonas shrugged indifferently but the smirk was still there.

"Wait a minute… That ring... You mean you're…?"

The young man chuckled, shaking his head. "It's my father's."

Jack left it at that and the two men continued walking in companionable silence. As they neared the Gate room, he espied the heightened activity around the Stargate and caught a blur of someone moving inside with very short, almost unruly, blond hair.

"You know," Jonas suddenly spoke up walking idly beside him with both hands buried deep in his pockets. "Sam asked me something a while back."

Jack regarded at him quizzically.

"She wanted me to look something up for her," the Kelownan said. "I didn't thought much about it then but now that we're having this conversation I realized that she was referring to the negaii."

"Oh?" They entered the Gate room and were almost within earshot of the others. "What's that?"

"Just a quote," the kid answered, closely watching Jack's facial expression. "A Proverb, actually. I think you already know what I'm talking about. Right, colonel?"

Jack stared at him, trying to look ignorant.

The kid flashed him a mischievous grin, not the least bit convinced with the expression on the older man's face. "I really wasn't surprised what color the negaii turned out, sir. I've had my suspicions long before that. And now it's been verified."

"Really, Jonas," the colonel said in all seriousness, squeezing the shoulder with one hand as he looked into those twin pools of dark green. "Remind me to kill you when I get back."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Hey, there you are!"

Airman Basic Thomas Franklin Winston IV looked up from his breakfast to see one of his friends, US Marine Private First Class Aislinn Calhoun standing at the other end of the table looking down at him. He greeted her lamely, ushering her to a nearby chair.

"We've been looking for you for days now," she said in a low voice, looking displeased.

"I know," Winston sighed heavily.

"We thought you were purposely avoiding us now that you get to work in the research department," she said accusingly.

"I'm not." When she still remained unconvinced, Winston continued. "It wasn't my fault. The chief wanted me to help out SG-1 do a personnel check–"

"Personnel check?" Calhoun interrupted. "We thought you were doing scientific research. That's what Sgt. Harriman told us."

Winston blanched at the slip.

"Tom, what's happening?" she badgered.

"Nothing," he said, nervously looking around to see if anybody was within earshot of them. "It's just that. Personnel check."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion."SG-1?"

"What can I say? They have time on their hands." He tried to joke his way out of it but one look at her face Winston gave up the pretense. "I can't tell you, Ais."

"Tom?"

"I'm sorry. I can't. My hands are tied." He sighed rather tiredly. "Can we just drop it, please?"

Calhoun looked cross but did not pursue it further. "We're heading out tomorrow."

"And I'm the only one left behind," he growled, irritated. "I was going to ask Sgt. Harriman about it when he dumped this assignment on me!"

For the first time, the private took pity on him. "Bummer. I'll just have to tell the others that you won't be able to make it."

Winston nodded his thanks.

"So what's it like? Working with SG-1?"

He eyed her. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that?"

"Oh, come on," she chided. "I only asked about SG-1 not what you guys were doing aside from fraternizing."

"We're _not_ fraternizing, Ais. Look whose talking! You know the colonel, right? Why you asking me?"

"My dad knew him," she replied, making a face. "Not me."

"Good for you. At least you were spared… Have you ever heard SG-1 talk amongst themselves?" he asked, his irritation returning tenfold.

"No," Aislinn Calhoun gave him a funny look, knowing where their conversation was going to lead to like all those others with regards to what the airman thought about SG-1. "And I don't think I want to."

Winston merely shrugged indifferently. She looked at her watch.

"Shift's over. I'd better go," she stood up. "Still got some packing left to do. And Tom–"

"Hmm?"

She smiled. "Try not to be too obvious when you're around them, okay?"

He chuckled as he watched her out the commissary door leaving him to his thoughts. He continued thinking about the members of the aloof, dysfunctional, overbearing and obnoxious group of people who thought highly of themselves called SG-1.

He recalled the many times he was hard pressed not to roll his eyes with Col. O'Neill's half-witted sentences. He even wondered how the likes of the man ever became SGC's second-in-command, much less, becoming a colonel of the United States Air Force in the first place. Of how he found Teal'c boringly humorless and that he's better off teaching people how to fight than try and teach him Earth humor. Heck, they've been trying to teach him for years!

Of Dr. Jackson, the airman found him an annoying whiner who does nothing but complain when things didn't go his way. To him, the archaeologist was Stargate Command's ultimate spoiled brat–the base was, literally, his playground. Okay, so he was instrumental in deciphering the Stargate all those years ago but it's been a military facility for more than seven years now and yet, even the base commander was giving the doctor more leeway than any other personnel on the base.

And there's Jonas Quinn, the accidental ex-SG-1 team member from the planet Langara. He was an alien envious of Dr. Jackson enough to murder the guy. The colonel would've chosen a Russian instead. At least, they're from the same planet. Jonas Quinn contributed nothing and naquadria he brought along with him was just as worthless as he was.

But of Maj. Samantha Carter, he had a whole different perspective and had only one thing to say. "She's more fit to lead the flagship team, if you ask me." And said nothing else like it was enough to explain his high esteem of her.

Winston knew without a doubt that this was all Sgt. Harriman's idea. He couldn't think of a reason why the chief Gate operator would want keep him stuck there. He'd done nothing wrong. He did everything that was expected of him. He had gotten well with everyone and no one's complained about his behavior as far as he knew.

He shook himself back to reality. Pondering and getting angry about the injustice of it all wasn't going to change anything so he might as well finish his breakfast and head back to Dr. Jackson's office. And that brought him back to an earlier incident only he had witnessed. Until now, he didn't know whether he should dismiss it as pure imagination-eyes playing tricks, that kind of stuff. Or something else.

After the gurney carrying the Kelownan was wheeled out of the room by a group of medics from the infirmary, with SG-1 hot on their heels, Winston was left to his own devices to continue sifting through tons of personnel files that got dumped his way. He grumbled, complained and spoke mostly to himself of how much of a thorn on his side the flagship team was.

That's when he noticed something from across the room. He not so much as seen but, rather, heard it.

It sounded very much like a cross between a blob releasing air bubbles and dry shifting sand. It didn't made sense but that's the closest he could identify it with. He sat frozen while his eyes roamed the poorly lit room. The sound could be coming from anywhere within the four corners of that place. The room was creepy enough in itself and it didn't help any that this also happened to be the workplace of SGC's head archaeologist. All the unsorted and as-yet unidentified artifacts found on off world missions got dumped there for study among other things.

Winston heard it again and this time located the general direction the sound was coming from and reluctantly turned his sights there, heart pounding in his chest. He raised his eyes towards the huge table where Dr. Jackson was working a while ago and caught a glint of metal lying there and, Winston gasped, _moving_.

It was the artifact Dr. Jackson recently found. The '767 metal plate.

Winston remembered closing his eyes and as he counted to five before slowly opening them again. When he did, not even a ghost of a movement at the said table could be seen. Even the sound he heard was gone. He could've sworn the thin, shiny metal plate, or the surface of the plate, moved.

It was only a split-second event but it was forever imprinted in his mind: the thing, whatever it was, moved like small waves in a pool of quicksilver. Like it was alive and wanted to get out of its tightly confined space.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Whew! It's been long and I, for one, was really surprised it took me this long to post another chapter! Imagine… 6 freaking months! Oy!**

* * *

**30**

It was more of a sense of movement than something Jonas actually saw that made him glance up from his observation of the tall clear glass before him.

"You should be resting,"

Jonas straightened up in his chair, placing the spoon down. "Daniel."

The bespectacled man frowned as he idly ambled into the Kelownan's office. "And that chocolate milk is meant to be digested, Jonas, not ogled at."

He half-coughed, half-laughed at the statement. "Jupiter." Daniel looked at him in confusion. "The swirling motion in the liquid," he pointed out smiling, before taking a sip of the dark concoction before setting it aside. "Reminds me of Jupiter's turbulent surface."

The scientist smiled. Count on Jonas Quinn to find something fascinating in the most trivial of things. "It's close to midnight, Jonas. Janet wouldn't like it if she finds out you're still up and about at this hour."

"Already? But… shouldn't you be–"

"Like you," Daniel ruffled his dark hair into disarray. "I've also completely forgotten the time and is too tired to drive myself home so I decide on spending the night here instead. What's that?" Jonas silently handed him the book. Daniel looked at him dubiously. "Ancient Egyptian folktales?"

"Li-_Captain_"–Jonas quickly corrected himself–"Edrald gave it to me this morning. Found it in a flea market down Colorado Springs. His welcome back present."

Daniel harrumphed and silently skimmed the table of contents. "Be prepared to get frustrated with the _Tale of the Doomed Prince_," he said handing the book back to him. "I'm not going to say why I'm going to let you find it out for yourself." It was then that his eyes fell upon another open book resting near Jonas' elbow and read it upside down. "Formulae and amulets? You're not thinking of making one are you, Jonas?"

"What? No! No, of course not," Jonas quickly answered. The amusement in the other man's eyes compelled him to confess. "It's just about this dream I've been having lately." His amusement turned to curiosity as Jonas recounted what he remembered of it. He finished his telling with, "That's why I'm brushing up on the subject."

"Have you dreamed of this before?" Jonas shook his head. Daniel stared thoughtfully into space. "Interpreting dreams is not an exact science so I can't help you there. However, you mentioned a hand-shaped pendant. As you already know, hand-shaped amulets were among the most popular here on Earth, in terms of personal protection, in ancient times from the Evil Eye."

"So you're telling me it's some kind of warning?"

"Like I said, it's not an exact science, but in terms of rationality and logic, I guess I would have to say yes. Unless,"-he studied Jonas intently-"there's something you're not telling me?"

Jonas visibly squirmed in his seat. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it in indecision. But Daniel was a patient man and Jonas, seeing no way out, finally said, "There's this nagging sense of reality in it I can't explain."

"Like a repressed memory?"

"Of something that doesn't exist on Kelowna?" Jonas said dubiously. "Our scientists have never discovered anything that remotely resembles these amulets."

"Finding or not finding an object in one place doesn't necessarily mean that it will never be found elsewhere," reminded Daniel. "You said so yourself there's a sense of reality in your dream. What about the rest of Langara?"

Jonas sighed. "Unfortunately, I was solely focused on the last war… I'm not even sure if it is an amulet or if it even means anything."

"We can ask Janet." Daniel suggested after a while. "Maybe she knows someone that can help you out. Just to make sure."

"Yeah," Jonas said thoughtfully. "Yeah. I'll think about it. Thanks, Daniel."

"And while you're thinking it over, I suggest you write them down in a journal for the time being."

"A dream journal?" Jonas seemed to consider this when another thought occurred to him. "Speaking of which, I believe I left one of mine in your office this morning. I'll drop in tomorrow to get it."

Daniel frowned. "You can access my office anytime you like with the keycard Gen. Hammond supplied you with, Jonas. Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

Jonas balked. "It can wait, Daniel. It's not like the thing is g–"

"I can't believe this," Daniel suddenly exclaimed, looking bewildered. "You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Last time I told you to wait for me in the office, you waited _outside_ instead. I met Sam on the way and told me that you didn't want to go there without first telling anyone." Daniel mused, studying his friend closely. "You're not scared of entering my office, are you, Jonas?"

"Of course not."

"Oh, no," Daniel groaned, eyes rolling around. "Not that."

"Not what?"

"You're not seriously thinking…" the scientist began, thought about it and rephrased what he wanted to say. "I thought we've cleared this up before. We're friends remember? And since when had any one of us ever cared about what other people, _who doesn't know you_, think? You ought to give us a lot more credit than that." He said accusingly.

The Kelownan fell silent for a few seconds, studying Daniel's face in a rather tiring manner, like the topic had depleted his strength and sighed heavily. "I just try to avoid trouble whenever I can."

"You _are_ certainly going to be in trouble if you keep this "I am unworthy" stuff up," Daniel firmly, but gently, reprimanded.

Jonas felt his ears reddening, embarrassed at his own behavior that could be accurately compared to that of a sulking 5-year-old child.

"Come on," Daniel said, standing up. "It's very, very late. Let's call it a day, shall we?"

Jonas sat there for a moment contemplating before shaking his head. "You go on ahead. There's something else I have to do first."

Daniel quirked an inquiring brow but Jonas remained silent. "Fine. I'll leave you to it then." He said, raising both hands in front of him. "I'm going to get some sleep now. We still have a lot of things to do tomorrow. More so now that Jack and Teal'c are gone."

That last remark made him jerk his head up. "Yeah, about that. What did the Tok'Ra want, anyway?"

"I'm sorry, Jonas," Daniel apologized, looking very much torn. "It's classified."

His answer painfully hit home. Jonas kept forgetting that he was no longer part of SG-1. No longer part of the inner circle. That he was back to being an exile and on a need-to-know status again.

The Kelownan merely smiled his understanding, not wanting Daniel to feel bad about something he had no control over.

Daniel offered a weak smile of apology before taking his leave but turned around once again to face him. "If you want, I can gather pictures of hand amulets found around the world, see if it closely resembles the one from your dream."

"It's okay. This can wait. We have a lot of things going on around h–"

"But I want to. At least, let me look it up?"

Jonas had a feeling that he wasn't about to let this matter go that easily. For starters, the timing was off but, hoping that Daniel would forget about it, surrendered. "Thanks."

As he once again turned to leave, Jonas couldn't help asking one last question he knew, at the back of his mind, was not going to be answered but asked all the same. "They'll be here by tomorrow, right?"

Daniel said nothing but threw a tight smile over his shoulder at him before completely disappearing from sight.

Jonas sighed heavily, slumping in his seat. Well, that was that. Even ETAs were now classified much to his annoyance, coming to the conclusion that a lot _did_ change the last time he was there, a disconcerting fact that Jonas Quinn had to accept and live with, albeit reluctantly. And Kelowna was no exception.

Now whenever Jonas thought of Kelowna only painful memories remained. It even overshadowed the happy memories he had of his father. The most recent, and most probably the most painful of all, was Rhougan Dubois' betrayal. Frankly, he didn't know what to think of it.

Rhougan was no mere aide. He was more than that. The man was not just Enosh Quinn's friend and confidante. They were brothers. To Jonas, Rhougan was a second father when his Dad died rather unexpectedly. Well, that was the common held notion that his father died while exploring a newly discovered underground tunnel in the temple of the Goa'uld Thanos but no bodies were recovered from the site.

The thing he felt obliged to do was the cleaning out of Rhougan's room, packing all of his belongings to be transported back to Kelowna via the Stargate. Doing it would only take him half an hour max since the aide hadn't really brought a lot with him there. The bulk of them consisted mostly of paperwork, a few articles of clothing and personal effects. Jonas wasn't really keen on doing it but knew he was the only one that could carry it out. No one was really rushing him to do it but there was also no reason for him to dally any longer. He had to do it now before he changed his mind.

If Jonas even had the slightest clue such things were going to happen, maybe he could've, at least, found a way to avoid them. He couldn't blame anyone really. He had a lot on his mind then and he felt like he had no control of the things happening around him.

The crux of the matter was, Jonas never really wanted to leave Stargate Command behind but he wasn't asked to stay either. It was a decision he was forced to take because he really had no say on the matter. Daniel was the only person to have breached the subject whilst the two of them were hiding from the enemy deep within the bowels of Anubis' mothership but was never discussed again afterwards, dying a pathetic death. Proof that no one wanted him to stay there longer than necessary. And, ironically, Kelowna didn't want him either. It was a disturbing thought but truth nonetheless.

Jonas was so engrossed in his own dark thoughts that he nearly jumped at the sound of Daniel's voice coming from the hallway outside and said, "They'll be here just in time for snacks. It's blue Jell-O day tomorrow."

He was also reminded to wear his blue BDO uniform the next day, adding that their friends would be "sick of wearing anything green by the time they get back."

As Daniel hollered out a hearty goodnight, a grin rapidly blossomed on Jonas' face.

True, he was not an official member of SG-1 anymore, no longer privy to matters concerning the base's operations both on and off world nor held a position of importance there, Jonas Quinn was still included in things like SG-1's color-coding of uniforms, meet ups at the commissary and dinners at O'Malley's.

They might be trivial to others but that was not his problem as long as he was able to do the things he wanted to do and had good friends by his side, he'd say that things really hadn't changed that much the last time he was there.

Nope. Not much had changed at all.

Now if they could just find a way to flush out the spy inside the base before SG-1 returned, and in a much faster way than what they were currently doing (because deep inside Jonas readily agreed with what the colonel thought of the slow paced investigation they were conducting but kept mum because he didn't want to hurt Daniel's feelings), Jonas would be more than happy to treat everyone out to O'Malley's, provided that the establishment accepted Kelownan credit.

- - - o 0 o - - -

_It's just a bracelet._

_It's more complex than that._

_It's not like I gave her a ring and asked for her hand in marriage._

_A lady friend… is equivalent to a special someone._

_I strongly suggest that you be the one to tell her first before someone else does._

That last one actually hit the spot, as far as Jack was concerned. The kid was right. He had to tell her.

_But tell her what?_ He irritatingly asked himself as he threw a covert sideways glance at Maj. Carter, who seemed to be blissfully ignorant of his dilemma as she had her nose buried deep in a thick book she had brought with her for the occasion, his honey-brown eyes zeroing in on the bracelet barely peeking out of her jacket sleeve. _I can't possibly tell her what that thing is for!_

Jack glanced back to what he was doing, which was cleaning his P-90 to a shiny glint. Not that the weapon really needed cleaning, really, but it was to keep him occupied while they were in transit flying through hyperspace towards their destination. Roughly a total of nearly 24 hours travel back and forth.

Cleaning the P-90 was a breeze. Take out the magazine, clear the weapon, cock it, remove the receiver, and then the breech assembly (the moving parts group). Once done, remove the butt plate and the hammer group assembly and viola!

Upon arrival, Anise showed them a hologram of the planet in question with a small part of it covered in bright orange color. At first, they couldn't figure out what she was trying to show them until she told them what she and her companions witnessed.

"_You sure it's Goa'uld?" Sam asked. "They never were one for stealth."_

"_Yeah," Jack seconded. "Don't them Goa'ulds have world devastator ships or something? I mean they love to show off with big ships on enemy territory every chance they get."_

"_Indeed," Teal'c nodded in confirmation._

_Anise took a deep breath before continuing. "We initially thought of that ourselves," she said. "But since we have never seen anything like it before we took some tests." _

_Jack quickly turned to Carter who was sitting right next to him._

"_Like a spectrometer," she quickly explained. "Spectrometers measure the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation in a stellar body. From it we can often get its temperature, density, composition and important physical processes–"_

"_Carter," Jack softly and patronizingly said, quickly but gently laid his left hand over hers to stop, what he felt, was the beginnings of a technobabble and threw a covert stay-with-me look at her. _

_There was a slight tinge of red on her cheeks that made him acutely aware of their close proximity with each other. The way their hands touched and how his hand lingered over hers. He promptly took his wayward hand away before it did something else._

"_The Tok'ra used their own version of the spectrometer to find out what that "bomb" was made up of." She told him._

_Jack only managed a silent _ahh_ as Anise continued to speak. "Our findings suggest that it _might_ not be entirely of Goa'uld design."_

That last statement got Jack and everyone's undivided attention around the table.

So there they were, in the middle of nowhere. Everybody was doing (or seemed to be doing) something. Teal'c was sitting in a far corner, eyes closed, apparently sleeping or maybe doing one of his kel'no'reems, although, he doesn't need one for very obvious reasons.

All three Tok'Ra were at the forward section of the small ship, doing whatever it was that they were supposed to be doing. They would check on Jack and his teammates (which was fine with him) from time to time, just basically glancing at them through the open access door, and leaving them very much alone.

However, the youngest male Tok'Ra, Inares, showed genuine interest at what Jack was doing, which was field stripping his P90, as he perched himself on the nearest crate-like box by the access door. His interest in a Tau'ri weapon was odd for a Tok'Ra but the colonel didn't mind. From what Anise told them earlier, the kid received his symbiote, Inares, just a few days before and was only beginning to experience what it was like to be Tok'Ra. Jack pitied him almost instantly. Almost.

Inares intently watched his every move but refrained from striking up a conversation or get anywhere near him. Maybe his Tok'Ra symbiote was stopping him or he simply wasn't in the mood to talk, Jack wasn't sure. But he was certain that Inares could've stayed there until he finished but the other Tok'Ra Banos called him away from the cargo hold and reluctantly left it behind.

Jack dry fired the weapon to make sure that all parts were properly aligned and freely functioning. Satisfied, he reloaded the magazine clip, attached the P-90 back to its sling and let it rest on his lap. Tok'Ra aside Inares reminded him of someone they left behind at SGC.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Will there be anything else, sir?"

Jonas received the last of the medium-sized empty boxes from him. "No. Thank you, airman." He said with a smile. "I can take it from here."

"I'll just be down the hallway if you need help with the things, Mr. Quinn." The airman nodded briefly pointing down the hall to Jonas' right and, to Jonas' utter surprise, flashed a friendly smile before going back to his post.

Well, that's a first, he told himself as he entered Rhougan Dubois' former living quarters to pack. You don't see something like that happen everyday.

- - - o 0 o - - -

The colonel's eyes were once again drawn to the negaii bracelet Sam was wearing. His mind back to the question he had been asking himself after that "enlightening" conversation with Jonas–

"Is there something wrong, colonel?"

Jack's head snapped up to look at his 2IC who, in turn, was looking at him inquiringly. He blinked once, trying to act natural and trying to hide the blush that was slowly creeping up his face. He merely raised his eyebrows in question.

The major sported a half-frown, half smile in a clearly confused face. "I don't know, sir. You kept looking at my direction, I thought you wanted to ask me something."

"Nothing," Jack quickly replied, too quickly in fact that he felt like kicking himself in the shin.

Movement caught their attention they turned in unison towards the figure standing by the door.

"We are here," Anise announced in that soft voice of hers. And ad if her statement needed confirmation, they felt the ship quickly losing momentum underneath them as they were about to exit hyperspace and enter realspace.

Jack was instantly on his feet, glad for the interruption that would've resulted with him looking stupid in front of Sam, and followed Anise towards the cramped bridge, his teammates following closely behind.

"Whoa!"

They all saw the scaled down version earlier but seeing it in person was still something.

On the hologram model, the fire was just a minute spot on the planet surface. Nothing to get alarmed about but roughly 24 hours had gone by and already more than three-fourths were now engulfed in flames. It wouldn't be for long until everything on the surface turned to ashes.

Jack tore his eyes from the sight to look back at his companions. Both Sam and Teal'c were staring at the planet mesmerized, wearing the same surprised expression on their faces. As Jack instinctively turned his attention to their Tok'Ra companions, however, he saw a dark look on Anise's face. It was gone the second she felt him staring at her but did not look his way, an act that made Jack suspicious but kept his silence about it. Instead, the colonel turned to look at Sam over his right shoulder.

"Okay. Break's over, Carter. Get to work."

The major nodded curtly at him before turning on her heels, back to the cargo hold and quickly did as told.

- - - o 0 o - - -

As Jonas expected, there wasn't much he had to pack. Rhougan Dubois traveled light and the day he became Jonas' political aide, three-fourths of what he lugged around on travels were documents he thought Jonas might suddenly need. Most of the time this insightfulness paid off and Jonas could only smile his gratefulness and accepted the older man's fatherly I-told-you-so looks with reddened cheeks.

He had his back to the room, busily putting the last of the documents into a box when he felt another presence in the room. Thinking that it was the SF who helped him earlier coming back to check on him Jonas quickened his pace calling out that he'd be finished in a few more minutes.

Jonas got no answer back but didn't mind and continued packing. He espied a folder resting on one of the couches and went forward to pick it up. As he did so, a movement in the hallway caught his attention and turned his head at it but it disappeared before his dark green eyes could completely focus on it.

Perplexed, the Kelownan came near the door, which he left open the entire time, and glanced up and the down the hallway. The only people outside were the SFs at their stations. He asked them if someone came by this way. Both answered no.

Jonas thanked them, maintaining a straight face and retreated back into the room. No sooner as he turned around, a cold breeze caressed the exposed part of his nape creating a trail of goosebumps on his flesh.

He whirled around, startled, cupping that part of his neck with a hand. He stifled the gasp that threatened to come out, his heart skipping a beat.

Jonas took an involuntary step backwards. Then another. And another, not really looking at all to where he was going, mind churning. There was a haunting similarity between this one and the ones he'd experienced back in Kelowna. He was being watched by someone. Or something.

He never really noticed it till now, mainly because such a thing never happened there before so he basically forgot about them. He never told anyone, not even Rhougan, of these things. He always dismissed them as some sort of paranoia or unease with his surroundings. Who wouldn't? Jonas Quinn left Kelowna being labeled as a traitor and came back not knowing what to expect or how people would react to him returning there. And now Jonas was certain. Benevolent or otherwise, he had no idea.

His legs hit the side of the bed effectively yanking him out of his thoughts. He stood very still the next few seconds as his eyes roamed around. The feeling of being watched was suddenly gone. Just like that. So what was that all about?

"Sir?"

The voice nearly made him jump out of his skin. The SF that helped him earlier was back again, standing by the doorway, looking uncertainly at him. He must've heard the ruckus Jonas was making and decided to investigate.

"I'm fine," Jonas reassured him. "Just got a little distracted."

Seeing that nothing was wrong, the airman returned to his station, leaving Jonas to contemplate on what was happening to him. The fear that gripped him earlier lost its chokehold on him, leaving Jonas a bit winded from the rush of adrenalin. He was alone again.

As much as Jonas wanted to wait around in case it returned he couldn't. He was pressed for time. If Janet found out he was breaking his promise, he was in danger of being detained to the infirmary indefinitely. As he moved away from the bed, a shiny glint on the floor caught his eye. Frowning, he picked it up and examined it. It was a flat round metallic object, aluminum in his opinion, the size of a dime with crisscross patterns in the middle and almost weighed nothing.

He looked around, trying to figure out where it came from. He even went on all fours for a better look. It only took Jonas a second to find it. The object was a part of the mattress bared of its sheeting. It acted as a cover on the holes that lined its edges and there was one that was missing such a piece.

As Jonas went near it, he noticed something peculiar. There was something jutting out from tiny the hole. A paper of some kind. He took a closer look.

_--_

_**The Tale of the Doomed Prince**__ is to be found in the Harris Papyrus in the British Museum. It was complete when first discovered, but an unfortunate accident partly destroyed it, so that the end of the tale is lost. It is supposed to belong to the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty.-- from the Ancient Egypt: The Mythology website._


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Totally screwed up the last chapter. Why? Because of all the things I have to forget, I forgot to add what _should've _been the last scene of chapter 30! Argh! My bad! So here it is… whatever you want to call it. It's a short one, people, but very important nonetheless. **

* * *

**31**

"This can't be right,"

Jack was immediately beside her. "What?"

Sam looked up at her CO, the expression on her face one of incredulity. "The results of the tests I did, sir." She said. "This is the fourth time I tried and still with the same results."

"You identified what caused this, right? That's a good thing, isn't it?"

Sam looked hesitant to answer. "Yes… and no, colonel."

"What?"

"Yes, it's good that we're able to identify the culprit but it's bad for us." She looked meaningfully at Anise who was hovering by the access door. "For all of us."

"Carter, can you please s–"

"We have incoming!"

Running boots on metal echoed in the small confines of the cargo ship as everyone rushed to the forward cockpit to find out what was going on. Inares pointed out a location in space, just above the fiery planet. "Sensors are detecting a hyperspace window about to appear."

"I am putting the ship under cloak. Ready the weapons, Inares." Banos, sitting in the pilot seat, began flipping switches. "Just in case."

"Looks like our mystery cargo ship's decided to come back," Jack blurted out. A hyperspace window erupted at exactly where the youngest Tok'Ra had pointed it out. But his demeanor changed the minute he noticed the size of the window. "Or not."

Suffice to say, it was something that a small cargo ship could not create even if it used up all its energy. The window was ten times larger than what was needed for a tiny vessel to come through. And it could only mean one thing. Something really big was about to come out from it. And when it did, Jack couldn't hide his complete and utter dumbfounded-ness at what they were looking at.

An enormous vessel exited the window in front of them. The outline was almost similar to the Goa'uld Hatak but the similarity ended there. It was twice bigger and looked a lot meaner. Compared to the open spaces seen between each "wing" of a Hatak, this vessel had none. It was all bulked up, filled in and bristled with guns from top to bottom, wingtip to wingtip. It exhibited signs of Goa'uld design but there were, for the most part, alien features in it that made it look positively menacing and quite a terrifying sight to behold. Compared to the Hatak's usual coloring of black and gold, it sported matte black and dull copper-like red with thin streaks of gold running along its outer edge.

One of the Tok'Ra swore in Goa'uld.

Jack realized his mouth was hanging open and quickly clamped it shut but couldn't take his eyes away from it. "You think they detected us?"

There was a short pause as Inares checked his instruments. "I believe not."

"Is it doing anything?" Sam inquired.

Inares shook his head. "None that the sensors can detect."

"Good. Just keep those weapons pointed at it. I don't wanna get caught with my pants down." Jack mumbled. The Tok'Ras looked at him in confusion. He ignored them, not in the mood to play translator at the moment. "At least we know two things: the cargo ship belonged to whoever's flying that thing."

"And of the other?" the female Tok'Ra scientist asked.

"We got another problem in our hands."

Silence followed the colonel's observations as everyone stared at the new arrival once again.

"We never thought such a vessel still exist." Anise remarked, in a rather whimsical fashion.

Jack whirled his head to look incredulously at her. "What? You've seen it before?"

"It is a smau'Tep, Colonel O'Neill." Inares replied in a very grave voice.

"A mouse what?"

"A smau'Tep," Anise repeated, the earlier wistfulness in her voice was gone, all business now. "The predecessor of the present day Hatak. It was the favored battleship of the Goa'ulds of old. Its sole purpose was to destroy their most formidable enemy in the galaxy."

"Hence the name," Teal'c's baritone voice flooded the small space as he took one step forward, still staring at the ominous vessel. "Smau'Tep means slaughterer of the First Ones."

Jack's eyes were irrevocably drawn back to the ship that silently loomed ahead of them. He couldn't help feeling a small knot of apprehension clenching painfully in his gut.

The Goa'ulds of old.

Predecessor of the present day Hatak.

Destroy their most formidable enemy.

Slaughterer of the First Ones.

"The Ancients," Jack O'Neill whispered.

--

_Just a quick note: in Egyptology, the term the First Ones is only one of the many titles the ancient Egyptians has given to a race of highly advanced beings that built ancient Egypt. A few of them are the Shining Ones (a title also given to the four sons of Horus), the Enlightened Ones, the Transfigured Ones, the Ancients. They are the ancient Egyptian creator gods and goddesses. Although, in the Stargate Universe, the term First Ones is used to identify the Unas as they are the first hosts to the Goa'uld.  
_


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Can't think of anything else to say except thanks to those that reviewed. And the smau'Tep is in no way or form like that of Anubis' megamothership on Season 7. This one's very different. And I'll use trinium instead of b'ja so as not to keep confusing people.**

Chapter Spoiler: _The Abyss_

_

* * *

_**32**

"This distance will do."

The System Lord turned to the speaker. "Do what you have to do, Nibiru. But I must impress upon you that Kalen is not known for his patience."

The scientist bowed and left the bridge in a hurry to meet his team down the docking bay. All they needed to do was test their latest batch of mesh'tyws and hopefully succeed where they failed last time.

The mesh'tyw wasn't his creation. It was the brainchild of another. An old notorious and long dead System Lord of Nirrti's caliber. Twenty-three of them were found stashed on a planet that used to be part of the dead Goa'uld's territory.

Synthesizing its components proved easily enough except for one small detail: it was not working as it should be. They were highly unstable and This puzzled them greatly. They really shouldn't be having any problems at all with the explosives but there it was. And it only meant that they made a mistake somewhere along the way. But they had no idea what and since they didn't know what to look for, they couldn't fix it. It was most frustrating, especially for Nibiru. He and his team had been hard at work to perfect it for months now. They've tried everything they could think of but the results remained the same.

The closest they got to working models were the ones they tested on this very planet a few days ago but they were still far from being called a success. That batch detonated prematurely in the upper atmosphere, nowhere near hitting their target located on the planet surface. But he had to admit even though they were defects the destruction they wrought was devastating it covered the entire planet in flames. If these defected mesh'tyws were that powerful, think about what a group of them, fully functioning, could do to a planet.

Nibiru could only guess since they couldn't afford to use up their limited supply of the working mesh'tyws unnecessarily. There were only eighteen of them left. One was analyzed and carefully dissected while our were used to siege the naquadah-rich planet, Al-Kahira. They were, embarrassingly enough, the only ones that hit their respective targets _and _exploded upon impact. The ones they made either landed on their target but never exploded or never landed on their target _and_ never exploded.

He had the Jaffa search for those that malfunctioned with every intention of examining them. As soon as they reached Al-Kahira, collecting the things was going to be his utmost priority.

Nibiru felt time was running out. Had been feeling that way for the past days now. He must find a solution. Discover where they had gone wrong. The mesh'tyws were going to be vital in aiding his benefactor become Ra's successor in the throne as Overlord. No one was deserving of the title more than he did and Nibiru was going to help the System Lord achieve that.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jack looked a little skeptical as he regarded the Tok'ra in silence. They had a way of exaggerating things, one of the traits they continued to share, although would never openly admit it, with the Goa'uld. It never went out the door when Egeria & Co. decided to leave the collective a couple of millennia ago.

But T, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. "Uh, when you say old, exactly how long ago?" Jack asked carefully, like he was expecting not to like the answer to that question.

"When the Gate builders returned to this galaxy," Anise said. "Their presence threatened Goa'uld supremacy in this sector of space."

"_The_ Ancients?" Sam balked, blurting out. "As in ten thousand years ago?"

"Yes." Anise replied.

Jack and Sam exchanged surprised looks with each other.

"I remember Master Bratac telling me how formidable a single smau'Tep could be and how it was an even match for the Ancient ships," Teal'c recalled. "We learned about them early on in our training. The Hataks are scaled down versions of the smau'Tep. It only takes one of them to destroy a planet, the size of Jupiter, using barely a fourth of its energy."

"They are the favored flagships of the old System Lords." Inares pitched in. He couldn't help looking out at it, too. "It has more firepower than four Hataks combined and it can take considerable damage before one can be effectively taken down."

"If they're as formidable and as badass as you say they are," Jack thought out loud. "How come the Goa'uld never made any more of these babies?"

"It is impractical to produce them anymore, colonel." Anise simply said.

"A sma'Tep takes twice longer to build compared to a Hatak." Teal'c added. "Its armor plating is two times thicker. Not to mention its compliment of fighters that is twice the number of gliders in a Hatak. The tremendous amount of naquadah needed to power its huge weapons and defense systems, its primary engines and auxiliaries as well as the propulsions system would make a considerable drain in resources and these are not as bountiful as they once were."

"_Bahr saeltesh,_" Banos muttered in Goa'uld.

"Loosely translated in Tau'ri means two-in-one." Teal'c supplied, as if that was enough for his Tau'ri friends to understand.

"You can imagine how powerful the old System Lords were with ships like that at their disposal, colonel." Inares nodded at the vessel outside the viewport. "The number of smau'Tep in possession determines the strength and standing of a Goa'uld in the hierarchy. As befitting an overlord, Ra has the largest smau'Tep fleet in the galaxy. Unsurpassed and undefeated."

"Ra was also the last known Goa'uld to possess such a fleet." Anise revealed. "Prior to his defeat in Abydos, they consisted half of the old System Lord's armada."

Jack felt his mouth hanging open.

"What happened to them?" Sam asked. Ra died just a couple of years ago. If that was true there was no way they could've overlooked ships of that size running around the Milky Way.

"Their fate remains unknown," Anise shrugged. "When news of Ra's death reached the rest of the collective, they tried securing his armada for themselves. They managed to capture a few ships but none of them was a smau'Tep. Over the years, many tried searching for them in vain, even Tok'Ra, but they seem to have completely disappeared without a trace."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"_Can't help it, can you? You just can't keep yourself away from them."_

_Daniel eyed the speaker ruefully. They were back in the open field overlooking the Stargate. The large boulder was there, too, and the golden-haired man sitting on top of it. The very same person that greeted him the first day he Ascended. _

"_You know very well that the others would frown upon such actions. They already see Oma as a rogue and holds anyone connected to her in the same regard."_

"_He is my friend. A part of me. Just because I no longer have a corporeal form they could relate to doesn't mean I should also stop caring for them."_

_An audible sigh. "So you rushed the second you knew one of them's in danger and even offered Ascension, unmindful of the consequences to yourself."_

"_Jack doesn't deserve any of that," he said defensively._

"_Obviously," he said. "But have you even thought about the danger to yourself if the others found you out?"_

"_I am not a child that needs to be looked after."_

"_In this level of existence, yes, _you are._" Silence. Another sigh escaped the older man's lips resignedly. "Listen, Daniel. I'm not your enemy here. I am merely pointing out that we are not supposed to help others Ascend. Rule number one."_

_Daniel glared at him. "And I just can't watch a friend suffer like that and do nothing when, in fact, I have the power to do so."_

"_Ah, yes." The older man said, nodding his head. "The unbreakable bond. The ties that bind us to the ones we love. The invisible cord that can never be severed no matter where life takes us. Can't say I blame you." He chuckled, jumping down from his perch gracefully. "But I also do not want you to put yourself in harm's way."_

_Daniel blinked, uncertain how to proceed. He was expecting a confrontation the moment he knew he was found out. "You're not…? Well… I mean, you know…"_

"_Expecting an argument?" The man's blue green eyes twinkled mischievously. "I know the conflicts assailing you, Daniel. You presumed, just like the rest of us that once you've Ascended, you can help your friends and also those who are in need. That you can do more having these "abilities" only to be disillusioned by it in the end. Of course, being a learned man in your own right, you knew there would be rules, but never realized to find many of them absurd–"_

"_But necessary," Daniel said._

"_That is your mind talking," the man said, a slight reprimand in his tone. "But what about what you feel in your heart? What does your conscience tell you?"_

"_What was it that they said? To prevent those that have Ascended from making unnecessary actions that might upset the balance of the universe." He chuckled. "They're right but they're thinking of drastic changes on a grand scale. Oma doesn't. And that is, unfortunately, something the others would never understand." _

"_What do you think about rules, Daniel?" The young man could only look at him in confusion. "I mean are they put there to keep the peace? Put some order to chaos? Or are they some sort of a "leash" wrung around our necks to keep us in line?"_

"_Bottom line? Like I said, they're necessary," Daniel said without compunction. "They're there for a reason."_

"_Even though half-no, more than half of them is absurd?"_

_Daniel frowned. "There's the American Constitution."_

"_That was just luck. I mean, you happen to have great leaders at the time." He pointed out. "The law-and any form of law for that matter-doesn't make any exceptions, whether it'll be reasonable or humane. It just knows good from evil, black from white. The law is neutral and, although, it has been written by people, it lacks thought and reason. It doesn't analyze why a person did it and what had made them do it. It only takes into account the crime committed and the necessary punishment for it."_

"_That's where courts, tribunals and councils come in," Daniel said. "To fill in the humane aspect of the law."_

_The man nodded. "There is that. But sometimes one has to break the law for a reasonable cause."_

_Daniel let the words sink in as he stared off in a distance. "You said you know how I feel. Were you just sympathizing or does it have a ring of truth in it?"_

"_I wasn't lying, if that's what you mean."_

"_You might as well tell me," the anthropologist urged. "It is unfair. You know everything about me but I don't even know anything about you."_

_He threw Daniel a sideways "you-don't-wanna-know" look. "Ask me again sometime." When Daniel started to protest, he quickly held up a hand. "I promise to tell you all about it if you promise me to be more careful the next time you decide to pull another stunt like that."_

"_I _am_ careful."_

"_Not careful enough," warned his companion. "Skim the water's surface, my friend. But always remember not to dip your hand in it. The others are watching."_

Daniel was pulled out of his dream with the shrill ringing of the phone somewhere to his left. Daniel groped in the dark for it, unwilling to open his eyes. "What?" he slurred in a dream-filled voice.

It was Jonas.

"Jonas? It's"–one blue eye peeked under a heavy lid to check the digital clock glowing eerily by the nightstand–"2 in the morning… what?... _What?_..." His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He was waking up faster than he believed possible. "Wait… whoa… slow down… First, tell me where you are? Okay. Okay, stay put. I'll be there in a minute." With that, he sprung from the bed and was out the door in a flash. The dream completely gone from his mind.

Daniel Jackson was standing outside the VIP room Rhougan Dubois used to occupy during his brief stay there. Jonas said he'd wait for him there. He seemed very excited. He didn't say much except that he might have found a solution to their problem and that Daniel get there fast.

He gently rapped at the door and waited. Jonas' profile came into view through the open doorway. He was still in his BDUs. Jonas stepped aside to let a wide-eyed, pajama-clad Daniel through.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"I'd sure love to have one of those babies," Jack uttered wistfully. The stares that were directed at him didn't go unnoticed however. "What?"

"A bay door is opening," Inares called out.

All eyes were trained on the smau'Tep as an al-Kesh left the protection of the huge starship as it flew straight towards the scorched planet.

Jack's brows furrowed. "Anyone thinking what I'm thinking?"

Obviously, Banos did. He began to manipulate the controls in front of him. "I am going to take us closer to it."

No one said anything as Banos tipped their ship to port on an intercept course. They knew they were safe from detection as long as their cloak was up and as long as they didn't open fire. Like him, everyone wanted to see what the al-Kesh was there to do but…

_Something's not right, _Jack thought suspiciously, looking from the mothership to the al-Kesh and back again. He voiced out his concern to the others.

"Our cloaking system is functioning perfectly, colonel." Inares assured him after running a quick test of their system. "Everything is as it should be."

"No. Something's off…" Jack stared out the viewport at the al-Kesh. He guessed they were less than 4 klicks apart and judging from the speed and momentum their ship was doing, they'd be near it in another couple of seconds. And that's when it hit him. Like the wailings of the lock-threat alarm inside the cockpit of a US fighter.

"Get us out of here," Jack commanded calmly, the urgency in his voice hard to ignore. Everyone looked at him like he'd gone mental or something.

"Colonel–"

He shook his head at Anise. "No time. Right now, we need to get as much distance between us and that thing"–he pointed at the al-Kesh and irrevocable danger if they went anywhere near it–"as we can before we find ourselves in a situation we don't want to find ourselves into."

Anise stared at him, a mixture of emotions running across her face. She walked towards the podium at the center of the bridge deep in thought. Jack ran after her. "Anise, listen to me. We all want to know what's going on out there but trust me on this one. It's not safe. We have to leave _now_!"

It must've been the urgency in his voice, the taut look on his face, maybe both or the maybe she thought of playing it safe, Anise nodded her head at the helmsman. "Do it."

Jack felt the ship reverse course under his feet as the inertial dampeners compensated for the sudden shift in momentum. It relieved some of the tenseness he felt but the alarm wailing in his head continued. Still, he thanked Anise for backing him up.

Anise could only sigh in return. "Freya is most unhappy," she began, talking about her Tok'Ra symbiote. "She demands an answer from you, colonel, and she wants it now. What is this dange–"

That was the farthest she'd ever made as Jack's world tilted unmercifully under his feet while an invisible hand yanked him backwards as something landed heavily on his chest. The last thing Jack O'Neill remembered was grabbing hold of the object pinning his chest before slipping into cold, numbing darkness.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Nothing really interesting. Just conversations. No need for reviews. Oh, and a Happy New Year. :D**

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**"_I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude."_

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_**33**

"Mr. Winston."

He turned at the mention of his name and fought the urge to roll his eyes out when he saw who it was.

Dr. Jackson skirted around chairs and made a beeline for him. From a far he saw Jonas Quinn enter Gen. Hammond's office. "Come by my office after this, will you?" the archaeologist said. "We need to finish a few things up before the day's through."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay."

"Don't be late."

Another shrug. Daniel politely thanked him before going on his way. Winston went back to what he was doing, his face full of scorn. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What, you're pals now with SG-1?"

Winston turned to look at the man beside him. "Shut up, Lenny."

Gate operator Airman Basic Lenny Martino chuckled as he leaned against the table. "Tsk tsk tsk. Where is all this hostility coming from? This is so not good for you, my friend, y'know."

"Yeah? Well, as you can see, I'm busy at the moment to answer questions, Dr. Phil." Winston sarcastically said. He waved the blue folder he was holding to encompass the length and breadth of the briefing room.

The usually empty spacious room was now crowded. Chairs were spread out across the room and the heavy wooden table was not in sight. How they managed to get it out was a mystery. People in BDUs, a few in labgowns, were there. Some stood up huddled in groups carrying on conversations while waiting for the meeting to begin. At the far end of the room, by the general's office, a small space was allotted for the podium that stood on one side while a huge whiteboard hung at the central wall, covering the glass star chart that doubled as a window through both rooms.

It was the quarterly meeting of the entire Gate staff, namely the people that were responsible for the operations (Gate operators) and maintenance (Gate techs) of the Stargate. All three shifts were in attendance as usual.

They should've started fifteen minutes ago but a slight problem occurred with regards to the reading materials needed for the meeting. Some idiot mistakenly delivered the folders up at the research department's science wing. And these same folders were the ones Winston was tasked to hand out before the meeting officially started.

"Heard anything from Ais, yet?"

Winston shook his head. "I bet they're having a great time in Tahoe."

"Yeah, I bet."

Aislinn Calhoun was the only child and daughter of a US Navy Captain, who died three years ago from cancer, and a wealthy affluent mother. She and Winston had been friends since they were 10.

Mrs. Calhoun loved children and had Aislinn early on in her marriage to the captain. But when an accident left her unable to bear any more children of her own decided to turn her attention in helping orphans find a permanent home or gave them to the care of trustworthy foster families.

Aislinn's mother always held parties for her charity every Christmas and New Year's. In one of these events, Tom met the Calhoun's daughter.

"I thought you were coming along?"

Martino sighed. "Something's come up. Family emergency."

"Elaine?" Winston asked, concerned.

"Nah. Mom's fine. Oh, she's asking when you guys gonna come visit her, y'know, you and Ais." Even though he only met Winston and Aislinn a few months ago while doing grave together, the three of them became very good friends.

"Tell her we'll come see her next weekend." Winston looked at the stack of folders in front of him then at his friend. "Hey, you know what? Go make yourself useful for a change." With that he dumped the stack of blue folders he was carrying over to Martino's arms before the latter could protest.

Winston took another stack from the table and began making rounds, Martino right behind him.

Martino cleared his throat. "So, what's this thing I've been hearing about?"

"What thing?"

Martino grunted. "C'mon, Tom. We're friends. I know Ais is in on it, too."

"Seriously, dude. I don't know what the heck you're talking about."

"SG-1."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Martino echoed. "Is that all you're gonna to say?"

Winston looked harassed. He thought for a moment. "Alright. I think it's safe to tell you some of it now that it's over. And thank god _it's_ over!"

"Well?"

"There's nothing to tell, Lenny." Winston was distributing the folders in earnest. "I was just helping them out with something. Don't even think I volunteered for the job." He quickly said, "Old Harriman dumped it on me."

"SG-1? I thought–" Martino frowned, stopping himself in mid-sentence. "What's it about then?"

"Stuff." Winston simply said, handing a folder to one he recognized as one of the Gate techs from first shift. "I think I'm not at liberty to say what just yet but when I came in to report this morning I found out that they dropped everything the moment they found that blueprint a few hours ago."

"Blueprint?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what's the big deal about it. It was just a blueprint of some sort. A satellite. At least, that's what I heard them call it."

Martino took in every word he said. "But that wasn't what you're helping SG-1 with, right?"

"Nope. The alien found it stashed somewhere up in VIP."

"Did you get a look at it, y'know. The blueprint?"

"What for?" Winston grabbed a handful of folders from Martino's stack. "Anyway, like I said. I'm glad it's finally over and I hope that nothing like that ever happens again."

"You're not the slightest bit intrigued what it is?" Martino asked incredulously.

"Dude, even if that blueprint contained the answer to all our Goa'uld problems I could care less as long as I don't have to do anything with SG-1 no more–with the exception of, of course, Maj. Carter."

Martino snorted, shaking his head. "And you call yourself a scientist."

"I'm a mathematician," Winston corrected. "There's a difference."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Even before he heard it, he already knew someone had decided to join their little party.

He froze. A faint sound reached his ears from somewhere in the darkness. Only his well adjusted eyes were moving and they were irrevocably drawn towards the door on the far left corner of the room as he waited in silence.

The sound continued on for a while, neither increasing in sound nor in tempo. A few seconds more and there was a small click followed by a turn of the lock. A sliver of light sliced the darkness in two as a figure quickly darted in from the hallway. Light retreated the second his guest quietly closed the door behind him.

He knew the man standing just a few feet away was waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light before getting on what he's supposed to do since switching the light on was not a very good idea. This room was rigged with surcams like most of the other rooms. Of course groping in the dark was also not a great idea unless he had brought with him something to help him move about.

He wanted to see what the guy was going to do before letting his presence known. But when he fished out a pair of night vision goggles from one of the pockets of his BDU he knew he only had seconds before his presence was discovered.

With a hand hovering lightly over the switch of the lamp beside him, he waited until the man had the contraption in place, counted to three before hitting the switch.

Bright light suddenly flooded the room. He did not even flinch when it hit his eyes the way it should after being in the darkness for quite a while. He merely blinked once and everything came into focus without being teary-eyed.

Once the lights were turned on, the intruder writhed in pain, crying out as he blindingly tore the night vision goggles away from his eyes, stumbling to the ground.

As if on cue, Major Davis and two SFs appeared from their hiding places and quickly surrounded the fallen man with weapons drawn and directed at him. Daniel and Airman Winston appeared a second later. They stood at a safe distance studying the NID spy for the first time.

"Sgt. Laurenti?" Winston blurted out in disbelief.

Davis glanced sideways at him. "You know this guy?"

"Kind of," Winston nodded, looking a little uneasy. "He's a Gate tech I met my first day on first shift." He continued to stare at the man.

By now the man had regained some of his sight back, squinting at the weapons aimed at him.

"I almost didn't believe Jonas when he said you were going to try and get here this early in the day." Davis said, signaling one of the SFs to cuff him. "But I guess he's got a knack for thinking the unthinkable."

"I think I will take that as a compliment."

The NID agent turned at the sound of Jonas' voice who was sitting in the middle of the bed legs outstretched, one leg crossed over the other, in a relaxed pose. He waved the rolled parchment cheerily at the spy, smiling like a little kid waking up on Christmas morning.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Retired US Air Force general turned Tok'Ra Jacob Carter briskly walked through a densely covered forest. Sunlight streamed through the high canopy, dotting the forest floor with a myriad of shapes and sizes.

The forest was alive with wildlife but Jacob nor his symbiote Selmak had no qualms coming there alone. There were no predatory animals large enough to endanger human lives for a thousand miles.

They continued uphill without stopping to rest. Time was of the essence. They didn't know how much long they had. Although host and symbiote had different reasons for doing this, they both agreed on one thing: they couldn't afford another loss.

They stepped out of the treeline and into a small clearing on top of a cliff. A Stargate stood proud and majestic against a scenic backdrop of craggy mountain ranges in the far off distance. They were hundreds of feet up from the valley floor.

Four men stood beside the DHD. Seeing them approach one of them began dialing as the rest stood watch of their surroundings. Seconds later, the Gate came to life. Jacob quickly entered his personal GDO code waited a second or two before approaching the event horizon.

There was the unmistakable change in gravity and temperature as he crossed the event horizon. The place that stood before them was a complete opposite from where they came from. They were hundreds of feet below the surface. Strong artificial lights brightened the cavernous room. It was noisy and full of human activity. The smell of oil and grease greeted his olfactory nerves reminding him of the bygone days when he was still in the Air Force. He allowed himself a small smile as he looked around him. His second favorite planet. That's what he called this place.

"Jacob,"

The Tok'Ra agent looked down and saw a familiar face at the bottom of the ramp. He suddenly remembered why they were there. The smile completely disappeared by the time Jacob reached the bottom steps. "George."

The two men shook hands. Gen. Hammond's smile evaporated the second he saw the look on his old friend's face. "Problem?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Jacob answered in a somber voice, sighing as he did so. He looked back at the Gate and at his companions trudging down the ramp. "And, as always, I need your help."

- - - o 0 o - - -

On and off. On and off.

"_Jonas, there is nothing wrong with your eyes."_

"_I didn't say there's something wrong. I said there's something weird."_

"_I've been your doctor for two years and I know a perfectly healthy pair of eyes when I see one."_

"_And they've been my eyes for twenty-seven years now. Enough to tell you that something weird is going on."_

On and off. On and off.

"_It's the adrenaline."_

"_I didn't do anything. The others did all the moving around. I just sat there in the dark for almost two hours waiting for someone to show up–"_

"_The spy. I heard. How did you get him to go there?"_

"_We dropped hints. He did some research. The rest is history."_

On and off. On and off.

"_And when he finally decided to poke around, I opened the lights. Everyone flinched, Janet. I didn't. My eyes never reacted violently to the bright light the way it's supposed to be. It's as if the lights had been on the entire time."_

"_Maybe they did. You were just not aware of it happening. I wouldn't be surprised if the act didn't register on your brain at all with all that adrenaline being pumped into your system. It's been known to happen."_

On and off. On and–

Jonas stopped toying with the switch of the desk lamp in his office and let it stay on. He just sat there staring in space, lost in his own thoughts.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: I guess that in the Stargate Universe, Cheyenne Mountain houses 2 very different complexes/bases (I don't know if such a thing is remotely possible): NORAD and SGC with NORAD as a front to explain away the presence of the military there. I keep forgetting that SGC was top secret and was even given the nick Area 52. I will further presume that level 11 is the "boundary" between these two so starting from level 12 all the way down will be SGC's while 10 and up will be NORAD's. In **_**Children of the Gods**_** we see Jack and Samuels boarding a second elevator to enter SGC on level 11. I have always thought that this is the real entrance since there seems to be some kind of checkpoint going on there. But I may be wrong.**

***I've decided to re-use the SG teams that previously appeared in the story because coming up with new ones proved to be such a pain in the nik'ta and one that I'd rather do without. So SG-19 will be replaced with SG-11 that first appeared in Chapter 17.  
**

**Chapter Spoiler:** _Foothold, Fair Game_

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_"_The difference between a good man and a bad man is the choice of cause." _– William James

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**34**

After being thrown in one of the holding cells for more than two hours, they finally came for him.

But they weren't there to interrogate him. They were there to take him topside. The NID agent was going to be turned over to the Military Police.

Four M16 bearing SFs flanked a handcuffed Laurenti from all sides as they marched along the hallway to the elevators. People stopped to watch as they passed. One of the onlookers recognized him and called out his name but Laurenti ignored him. He held his head high and walked with dignity.

Of the four guards, only two stayed. Another pair would meet them once they reached level 11, the midway point, to replace the first two. They were to transfer on another elevator that would take them all the way up to the surface.

His guards went in first, followed by the prisoner. He turned around to face the two men standing outside the elevator. Before the doors completely shut, the prisoner suddenly flashed them a self-assured smile and was gone.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Connors! 'bout time you got here," the senior tech greeted, frowning. "I thought I was going to lose one of my kidneys because of you."

"Sorry. Frances' car broke down and I had to take her to work and the kids to school. Then traffic just made my day." The new arrival explained and quickly sat on his station in the surveillance room. "Go. I got everything covered."

"If you've gotten here a little earlier you would've seen the action," the other guy mumbled as he walked towards the door. "I'll tell you but first I gotta pee!"

His partner smiled. "I'll be right here, Walker. You can tell me all about it later."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Silence followed Jacob Carter's explanation regarding the nature of their visit. Took them a while to do it but in order to enlist Stargate Command's help, they should tell them everything.

All ten seats around the long wooden table in the briefing room were occupied for this emergency meeting he requested. Besides his four Tok'Ra companions, Hammond sat on his usual chair at one end of the table. Also present were Daniel, Jonas and Majors Davis and Ferretti.

"It could be a trap," Davis finally said. He leaned forward on the table, looking up at Jacob standing with his back to the viewport overlooking the Stargate.

"It was sent through a highly secure line of communication that can only be operated by the Tok'Ra it was assigned to."

"Like biometric verification?" Jonas quipped.

"Yes. Each device has its own frequency signature. There was no evidence of tampering whatsoever."

Ferretti cleared his throat. "I think what Maj. Davis is trying to say is as far as the authenticity of the comm goes it's from Malek. The message, however, is an entirely different matter."

Daniel contemplated on what Jacob said so far. "Is there a way to know for sure if Malek was the one that sent the message through?"

"Other than the pre-arranged distress message, no."

A wave of uncertainty crashed into the room as the Tau'ris silently exchanged glances with one another.

"The details are just too convenient. Not only does it tell us everything about the camp but also about the status of the planet's Stargate not being secured." The Pentagon official pointed out. It was his job to scrutinize everything that had to do with SGC. "It's not something a prisoner can do all by himself."

"Maybe he had help," Jonas suggested, not willing to throw the possibility that the message did, in fact, came from one of their friends out the window just yet. "Maybe there's another Tok'Ra agent where he's at."

"If only we know the name of the new System Lord that seized control of the planet." Jacob said, ruefully.

The Tok'Ra nearest Hammond named Iras spoke up. "Like the Tok'Ra, the Goa'uld has heard of the planet's existence and has been searching for it for quite some time now but Merenptah has managed to succeed in keeping the planet's location a secret from everyone and only known to a handful few."

"Even though the Collective swore to share their resources with each other to fight a common enemy, it's not always the case." Jacob added.

- - - o 0 o - - -

It wasn't easy to move in the cramped space but he somehow managed to distract one of the SFs. Within seconds, he was free of his bonds and took from the unconscious airmen their weapons, keycards and radios.

He pressed the emergency stop button, placed his fingers on the crack between the elevator doors and pushed.

- - - o 0 o - - -

A blinking red light caught Connors' eye. He quickly turned to check it out. One of the elevators was on an emergency stop. He thought nothing of it since it was an everyday occurrence and went back to focusing his attention on a reported malfunctioning surcam on level 25. But what he didn't notice was that one of the monitors caught sight of Laurenti emerging from the elevator unescorted, walked across the monitor and was gone.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"What does the Council think of this plan?" Hammond finally spoke up.

Jacob momentarily bent his head to the ground, closing his eyes. "They refused to rescue Malek," Selmak, his symbiote, said in his deep grave voice. "We tried to convince the Council but they would not relent. Malek is a prisoner, no doubt tortured and compromised, but we cannot leave him there to die. He has valuable information that can be very vital to us in our fight against the Goa'uld. Jacob insists on mounting a rescue together with the Tau'ri without the Council's knowledge."

"We"–Jacob indicating the four other Tok'Ra–"are willing to take the risk. It would certainly be a big help if you can join us. At least I am being truthful when I could have just as easily led you to believe that the Council sanctioned this rescue mission and save me from all this explaining I'm doing right now."

Everyone turned their attention at Hammond. It was all up to him now.

"George, we need your help." Jacob softly pleaded.

"All right," the base commander finally said after a few moments. "I'll have Maj. Davis, SGs-2 and -11 accompany you on this mission."

"I want to come, too." Jonas spoke up.

Hammond frowned.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Connors heard the door open. He turned his head a fraction.

"I just did that before you came in," Walker said, thinking that his friend was running a systems check of the security network.

"Security reported a malfunctioning cam on level 25 so I th-" He heard Walker cry out in alarm. "What?"

Walker pointed to the elevator that was blinking red. "How long has this been on?"

His partner shrugged. "I lost track-"

Walker cuts him off by lifting the intercom and dialing security.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"General, I want to help. Like Jacob said, Malek's a friend. We can't just leave him there."

"I quite agree, Mr. Quinn. But you are not going."

Daniel raised a hand. "I'll watch his back."

Hammond stared at both of them in disbelief. "I do not know if any of you noticed but headhunters are still out there looking for you under the orders of a Goa'uld."

"As much as I would love for you both to come along, I'm afraid George is right." Jacob said, when they started to protest. "Word of the bounties on your heads and the attempts on your lives has reached Tok'Ra. We are helping Stargate Command find out who's behind this and why."

The general sternly looked at the two civilians. Daniel looked completely displeased. Jonas simply shrugged, he noticed, halfheartedly.

"Sir," an airman clutching a radio on one hand, jogged his way into the room. All turned in unison at him. "We have a situation."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Winston's eyes shot up to the ceiling the moment he heard the alarm wailing above his head. At first he thought it was the Gate klaxon but soon after realized it was not. He looked around at the others along the hallway and saw them doing the same thing with puzzled looks on their faces.

He was back on his regular duty and was on his way up to have brunch at the commissary when the alarms went off. A handful of SFs tore around a bend ahead of him in a hurry, the non-coms scurrying out of their way.

_What the heck?_

- - - o 0 o - - -

He'd been found out.

The NID agent just reached the bottom landing of the stairwell on level 18 when the alarm went off. He surveyed the hallway, senses working overtime. He tried to control his breathing and the urge to run for it as adrenaline rushed through his system. He was almost there. He couldn't afford to make mistakes now. Not when his life depended on it.

The radio strapped on his waist crackled to life, startling him. He nearly forgot about it. He listened to the broadcast it aired, confirming his worst fears.

But it was a trivial matter to concern himself as he unconsciously patted his chest where the _Enosh_ blueprints were safely tucked away. By the time they realized what really happened, he would be long gone from there.

- - - o 0 o - - -

A grim-looking Gen. Hammond entered the surveillance room flanked by two armed SFs who took positions on both sides of the doorway. He took a perfunctory sweep of the monitors in front of him. "What's our status?"

"Elevator 2's on level 17, sir." Walker replied, pointing at one of the monitors that showed an empty hallway. Only a small portion of the elevator could be seen because the camera was mounted a few feet away from it.

"How long?"

"5-10 minutes." Walker said. "We're reviewing the surveillance tapes now."

"SF teams are on its way, sir." Connors reported. "They should be there any moment."

"How did this happen?" the commander asked. The two men exchanged nervous glances.

"_Control, this is Sierra Foxtrot three-oh-seven niner on l17. Get a med team up here ASAP." _A terse voice said over the radio. _"We have two men down. Repeat two men down. They appear to be merely unconscious but we don't want to move them until a med team arrives."_

- - - o 0 o - - -

Ferretti together with the rest of SG-2, Davis, Jonas, Daniel and SG-8 arrived on the scene a few moments later. Jacob and the other Tok'Ras were left behind at the briefing room for their own safety.

"The gun I understand," Davis said. "But what's he going to do with two low-level security keycards?"

"Most logical answer is the weapons' cache but seeing that he took their guns with him it anyone's guess." Ferretti answered.

"There's nothing important here that would require the use of a keycard," Capt. Brendan Griffith, SG-2's former 2IC and now leader of SG-8 said out loud. "This level's mainly a recreational facility, storage area with a few living quarters…"

Everyone exchanged glances. Jonas' room was on that level.

"You didn't happen to leave those blueprints in your room, did you, Jonas?" Ferretti threw the Kelownan a sideways glance.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Laurenti swiped one of the keycards into the slot and entered the code. After getting the green light, he pulled the well-oiled thick metal door open and gingerly stepped inside.

The access tube was a narrow vertical passageway with metal rungs that ran along the entire length of the base and up to the surface, sub-levels not included. Its main purpose was to be an alternative escape route if the elevators and stairwells failed. It was also the easiest way in and out of the underground complex so keypads were installed on each entrance located on every third level of the base.

The last time it was used was when Stargate Command had a foothold situation a few years back. Maj. Carter used the access tube to escape the alien-infested base to alert the US military of the situation. She even went as far as asking Col. Maybourne's help in getting Stargate Command back from the hostile aliens that took control of the facility.

The agent gingerly placed one foot on a metal rung while his right arm wrapped itself around another. He braced his other foot against the metal frame as his left hand pulled the door closed.

He momentarily looked up and couldn't help smiling. He almost hummed a happy tune as he began climbing his way to freedom.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas took one look at the room and he knew. "He has them."

Ferretti swore. Davis radioed their findings to the general.

"Where do you think he's going to now?" Capt. Edrald, SG-2's new 2IC, looked at the others as Jonas joined them in the hallway. "There are no offices or workstations anywhere from level 12 to 20. What could he possibly be after this time?"

"He couldn't've possibly gone far," Griffith said. "What about his locker?"

Davis shook his head. "It's been cleaned out by security. He knows that."

"_We're reviewing the tapes now." _Hammond announced over the radio. _"Sgt. Laurenti did enter Mr. Quinn's room and then headed for the stairwell to your left down to level 18. We've already notified security there."_

They ran towards the stairwell, going down the flight of steps two at a time. The general then told them to turn left and all the way down the hall.

"If it was me, I'd be running for the exit and get the hell away from here." SG-2's Dr. Grant stated. "He'd be stupid not to figure out that all this commotion's centered on him."

"Well whatever he's planning to do won't be worth anything now," Ferretti said with certainty. "The elevators and stairwells on this level as well as the ones above and below are guarded. He's trapped with no way out."

"Maybe not," Daniel suddenly blurted out from behind them.

Davis frowned. "What?"

"The keycards." The archeologist groaned, punching a closed fist on his open palm, loudly making a sound. He stopped completely as his mind went a mile a minute. "How could we _have_ missed that!"

"What about them?" Edrald asked beside him.

"It's his way out." The others stopped to listen to what Daniel had to say. "Think about it. There are only a handful of places that a low-level keycard, like the ones Laurenti has, can get in and like all other keycards, its main purpose is to get the wearer in and out of the base."

Ferretti snorted looking at his friend like he'd gone daft or something. "Daniel, I don't think you heard me when I said-"

"Yes, yes. The elevators and stairwells are closely watched, I know. You said that." Daniel interrupted. "But what about the access tube? It shoots straight up the surface, nothing to impede his progress and emerges well away from the base with only a keypad to guard it. Anyone with a keycard and knows the code can easily access it. There's a door on every third level and, if I'm not mistaken, one of them is here on level 18. I think that's where he's headed."

Everyone exchanged glances "Control, this is Ferretti. See if anyone tried getting in the access tube? We believe he may be heading there."

They finally reached the hatch that opened up to the access tube when they got their answer. _"That's an affirmative, major. A Lt. Jansen accessed the hatch on level 18 2 minutes ago. But visual confirms it to be Sgt. Laurenti."_

"Everybody heard that?" Ferretti said over the radio. "I want all hatches watched. Your primary objective is to flush the sergeant out from the access tube. Do not engage. Repeat do not engage once you get visual. We need him alive."

"Where to now?" asked Davis.

"Griffith, have your team go up to 15 while we head up to 12." Ferretti ordered. "Davis, Jonas go with them. Daniel you come with us."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"…_need him alive."_

Laurenti silently swore, hitting a metal rung in anger. It was evident that he did not count on being found out so soon.

He forgot that the hand that hit the rung was holding the radio he took. It slipped from his grasp and fell down the shaft. He could only look at it helplessly as it disappeared from his view. Laurenti winced involuntarily as it made a sound as it hit something on its way down.

He looked up. There was a hatch just up ahead, a foot away from him. The agent seemed to be deciding what to do next as he stood there weighing his options. Good thing he decided on keeping one of the handguns and threw the other and one of the radios in a garbage can. He unconsciously reached down to feel the assuring weight of the firearm on his side.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Everyone readily agreed with the major. Jonas was about to follow Davis when a noise from behind him caught his attention. He looked at the others but they were already halfway down the corridor. It was subtle but he definitely heard it. He turned his head a fraction looking over his shoulder, frowning. He stood there for about five seconds before running after them.

Daniel hadn't taken more than a dozen steps when Jonas suddenly grabbed him by the arm.

"I know a much faster route." Jonas quietly said.

Edrald who was close by skidded to a halt when he heard what the Kelownan said. Both men looked uncertainly at Jonas who tugged at their arms a little harder, with more urgency, going back the way they came from. "Come on."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Tell me again," Aidan Edrald's voice floated up to where Jonas was, "why did I let you drag me into this?"

Jonas stopped climbing and looked down past Daniel to the man right below him. "Because you're the one with the gun. It's obvious you should come along." He cracked a smile.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Daniel protested under his breath.

"Come on, Daniel. This _is_ much faster than taking the elevator." Jonas said, shifting his attention to the man in the middle of him and Edrald, his smile never wavering. "Cuts the minute or two to get there plus the waiting we have to do before it opens up and go. We're already here so why take the long way up?"

"But the access tube?" Daniel grumbled. "We should've just taken the stairs."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Jonas teased playfully.

"Where are we going exactly?" Edrald asked, his tone a bit harassed.

"Level 12."

Daniel looked up at Jonas, dubious. "Just that? Level 12? No explanation whatsoever?"

The Kelownan stopped, causing the two men below him to do the same thing. "Let's just say I've got a feeling." He simply said before moving on.

"You're really getting a kick out of this, aren't you?" Edrald grunted.

Daniel sighed loudly, in total agreement with the captain, but they continued climbing after Jonas nonetheless, their boots hitting the metal rungs echoing softly in the long narrow dimly lit shaft.

Before they went in, Edrald radioed his team leader where they were and what they were planning to do. Ferretti thought it a good idea and said to meet them halfway.

"I heard a sound coming from inside here. It was subtle and you guys were already gone so I bet none of you heard it." Jonas looked down at them once again. "Besides, Laurenti went this way and I'm guessing we're not that far behind. I'm sure he's the one that made that noise I heard. We might even get to him before the others do, radio in and wait for the cavalry to arrive."

They reached level 12 in less than 3 minutes. Jonas eagerly reached out to open the hatch-and found himself staring at the muzzles of half a dozen M16s directed at him.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Winston stepped into the commissary surveying his surroundings. There weren't that many people around so finding a table wasn't that difficult. The burly chef and two of his assistants were just setting up the first batch of newly cooked food ready for the lunch ahead.

He crossed the room towards the food counter and pulled a tray from the rack and began choosing from the assortment of dishes available. He was in no hurry since he didn't have to report back to the Gate room for another 30 minutes.

Old man Harriman, as he called the chief Gate operator, wanted his written report before lunch. Since he was pulling two shifts for four days straight, he was given temporary residence to one of the VIP quarters on the base and that's where the blue folder that housed his report was at the moment. He had a lot of time to spare to go up and get… the…

His keycard was gone.

Winston desperately searched for his keycard in vain. It was not in its usual place, mainly his left breast pocket, or in any of the rest.

He spun around, looking at the ground, retracing his steps with his eyes but there was no sign of the thin rectangular plastic anywhere.

He forgot about his hunger and quickly began retracing his steps, jarring his mind to where he could've possibly left it and scurried out the commissary.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Sorry about that," the SF team leader said as he helped Daniel and Edrald out of the access tube. "We just got here and thought you guys were Laurenti."

"We have to start searching these corridors," Jonas said. "We'll meet Maj. Ferretti's team halfway."

They divided themselves into three groups. Handguns were provided for Daniel and Jonas before going on their way. The three of them took the rightmost corridor and began their search.

Edrald took lead, flanked on both sides by the two scientists. He insisted on remaining with them, confident in his capacity to protect them more efficiently than the others. They agreed to maintain radio silence while they searched. They met non-coms along the way and SFs that positioned themselves on intersecting corridors. They searched all the rooms they could find looking for hints but came up empty.

They were in a section where almost all of the rooms were a through and through, having two doors on opposite walls facing each other, getting one from one corridor to the other like Daniel and Sam's offices located deep within the mountain. Most of them were used as storages while others were just left empty. There were a lot of places for a person to hide into since level 12 did not have that much human activity.

"I sure hope the others are having better luck that we are," the young captain couldn't help saying after they emerged from another empty room. He lost count after the 10th and that had been like aeons ago.

"We'll find out soon enough." Daniel said, looking down the hallway to his right. "What do you think the NID offered him to be a double agent?"

The captain shrugged. "Any number of reasons," he said. "But whatever that is, it's his choice to ma-"

A loud cry interrupted their conversation followed by shots fired somewhere on the corridor ahead of them. Their radios suddenly crackled to life, voices chattering excitedly. The trio quickly ran down the hallway, guns in hand. Shots were fired a second time.

They bent low as they ran around a bend, guns pointed to the ground with their safeties off. Voices floated in their direction and they could see SG-2 and a couple of SFs running farther away from them.

They followed and saw Ferretti raise a hand high for everyone to see. He made quick motions in the air silently giving them orders military style. The SFs that were taking up the rear broke away and disappeared through another corridor.

The NID agent was nowhere in sight but the air of tension was thick and all movements quick and precise. In a low voice, Edrald asked the scientists to stay back where it would be safe and jogged towards the major's side.

Ferretti's eyes never wavered as he stared straight ahead. There was another bend a few feet away and this he approached with caution his 2IC right beside him. Neither man talked as they went forward.

The major reached out an arm to Edrald, halting him in midstride. The captain looked at him in confusion but nodded his obedience. He continued forward with Edrald following just a step behind.

He flattened himself against the gray wall and risked a peek at the edge. The corridor ahead was empty but a slight movement to the right caught his attention.

"Don't even try it!"

Daniel snapped to attention at the sound of Laurenti's voice his tone cool and calm, like he had a bargaining chip in his hand. The archeologist found out later what it was. No. _Who _it was.

Airman Basic Tom Winston.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Been out of circulation for a while. Well, although, I am ashamed to admit it I am suffering from a serious case of writer's block. Maybe work, followed by lack of proper sleep (only 3 hours max) and that fact that my personal life is a bit chaotic at the moment – yes Prince Charming turned out to be a complete and total oaf (will not use the word ogre, Shrek might take offense, hehe.) – has something to do with it. So I am apologizing in advance if something in this chapter seems weird or redundant or something that makes you go "WTF?" *sweat!*

* * *

35**

Winston reached level 12 just as Ferretti issued an order to have all entrances and exits guarded. He, like the rest of the base, had no idea what was going on or what was the cause of the alert being raised (although he had an inkling) and could do nothing except be on their guard.

This was the last place he went to before going down to the commissary. He came there looking for a colleague to ask a favor. Little did he knew that it would put him in a very dangerous situation.

Shots were fired not far away from where he was. Winston instinctively ducked and pressed himself against the wall, searching for the origin of the sound. His basic survival training told him to run away but something else told him to stay put and see what was happening. Against his better judgment, Winston slowly crept towards the end of the corridor.

But even before he could reach it, someone else appeared from the opposite direction and nearly ran him over. Winston quickly straightened up, backing away as he did with arms flailing, but he was not quick enough to avoid the two of them from colliding with each other.

The first thing he saw was the gun. The man's face was second.

- - - o 0 o - - -

The not very friendly conversation between the major and Laurenti suddenly turned into a shouting match as both men ordered the other to put away their guns. None showed signs of backing down. They were at it for another five seconds before Maj. Ferretti finally relented when it was evident that it wasn't going to get them anywhere.

Daniel watched the tableau a few feet away from as the major raised both hands and placed the gun back in it holster all the while talking in a reassuring tone, trying to calm Laurenti down.

"Earpiece," the spy harshly commanded. "Take it off. Now."

SG-2's 2IC, Capt. Edrald, swore under his breath as helpless watched his CO take the offending device off his right ear. "This is bad."

The man had every reason to be concerned. With communication cut off between them and the major, the latter had left himself in a very vulnerable position.

Daniel looked over his shoulder to find-

-Jonas nowhere in sight.

- - - o 0 o - - -

He hurried down the empty corridor, looking at the doors to his left. When the shouting match between Maj. Ferretti and Sgt. Laurenti began, he saw this as an opportunity to leave and so he crept away without informing anyone. He thought of telling Daniel, however, but quickly dismissed the idea, knowing full well that his friend would insist on going with him.

The corridor ran parallel to where the others were. He made a cursory glance at the first two but came to a complete stop between doors three and four, looking back and forth between them, indecision etched on his face.

_If I'm right…_

- - - o 0 o - - -

Daniel glanced uncertainly at the others. It would seem that he was the only one who noticed Jonas missing. To run after him was useless. To hail him over the radio would do no good either.

"Might as well give up quietly, sergeant," the major said in a placating voice, trying to calm the man down, taking another step forward. "We both know there's no way you're getting out of here without a pair of handcuffs on your wrists."

Laurenti's face was inscrutable as the major said this but the knuckles of the hand holding the gun were white. He tightened his chokehold on the hapless young Gate operator, the gun being roughly pushed against the underside of Winston's jaw, causing his head to tilt at an odd angle, the young man wincing in obvious pain. Ferretti stopped dead on his tracks but continued to reason out with the NID agent.

Daniel glimpsed the fear in Winston's eyes. He knew the major was doing everything he could to save him. He also couldn't ignore the look of desperation in Laurenti's face and that's what worried him most.

"I know you don't want to do this," Ferretti's voice sliced through Daniel's thoughts. "Let the airman go and we'll talk about this. It's not too late-"

"It's too late."

A cold sensation ran down Daniel's spine at Laurenti's words. It sounded like the words of a man ready to die.

Jonas was up to something that much Daniel knew. And he better do it fast before things started spinning out of control. His earpiece connected to the radio suddenly crackled to life, startling him.

Ferretti must have sensed it, too. "No, it's not," the major insisted. "Gen. Hammond will hear you out. If you want I can-"

"I will never help you. It doesn't matter what happens to me. There are others…"

"Sergeant…" Ferretti's voice raised in pitch as he took another step towards the two men.

Before anyone could react, Laurenti roughly pushed his hostage towards the unsuspecting USAF major. Daniel watched in stunned disbelief as he saw the man shift the aim of his gun from the major towards himself.

But before Laurenti could pull the trigger, Daniel saw him jerk before collapsing to the ground unconscious, the gun skittering across the cold concrete floor.

Jonas Quinn stood over the fallen man, gun in hand. He no doubt used the butt of the gun to subdue the sergeant.

Everyone rushed in. Daniel quickly ran to Jonas' side. "Took you so long."

The Kelownan looked at him and smiled. "Obstacles."

"Huh?" Daniel said as he followed Jonas towards an open door, a few feet away from where the others were, of a through and through office turned storage room. He could see an open door on the other side and the tall stacks of boxes and crates all over the dark room.

"The corridor on the other side runs parallel to this one," Jonas explained. "Figured I might be able to sneak up from behind without him noticing and hope to end the situation peacefully. That's why I radioed in for our guys not to shoot. They might mistake me for someone else once I emerge from this room."

"Everyone all right?" Ferretti appeared next to them. The anxiety in his face was no longer there. To Jonas he said, "Nice work," and patted him on the shoulder smiling as he did so.

- - - o 0 o - - -

"Hey,"

Daniel tore his eyes away from the book he was reading. "Hey," he answered back.

"What a day, huh?" Jonas leaned sideways, against the door frame.

"Yeah." The archeologist turned in his seat to look at his friend fully, watching Jonas cross the room and to a nearby chair, a weak smile plastered on his usually cheery face. The drooping shoulders were not lost to Daniel either and that elicited a frown from him. "You look like you went into a battle and came out of it losing heavily."

Jonas dragged out a sigh, shoulders drooping even further. "I just had talk with the general."

"And?"

His friend shook his head sadly then his face quickly changed into one of defiance as he said, "I just can't stay here and wait. There must be something I can do to make the general change his mind and let me go and help rescue Malek."

"He's only looking after our safety, Jonas."

"I know. It's just that… I mean I… there's… see I…" Jonas looked like he was ready to pull his hair in frustration.

"What?"

"I…" Jonas cleared his throat. "I have this feeling. I don't know what it is, Daniel, but what I do know is that I have to _be_ there."

"Maybe you're just thinking too much."

"I don't know how to explain it. I usually don't make a fuss about these kinds of things. I'm used to being left behind."

"But?"

"Remember P6I-037?"

Daniel remembered that incident all too well. How couldn't he when one of the huge flying insect things pursued them all the way back to the Stargate and shot him with acid. Luckily, the gear strapped on his back saved him and took the brunt of the attack. "What's that got to do with this?"

Jonas shifted uneasily in his chair. "Well, it really wasn't the power of deduction that I knew you were in danger then. I _felt_ you guys were in danger. I really can't explain it but it helped me so far so I decided to trust it and I'm having that same kind of feeling since Jacob told us about Malek. Only much stronger."

Daniel's face clearly showed his alarm. He never, not even once, doubted Jonas at his word. He was never one to exaggerate either.

"It's not the mission itself," the Kelownan answered quickly, seeing the look on Daniel's face. "At least, I don't think so."

"Do you have any idea what's going to happen?"

The Kelownan rubbed his chin distractedly. "Like I said I just have this feeling but…"

Daniel edged closer. Jonas' brows almost met in the middle the way he was frowning so hard as he tried to recall something.

"Something else tells me that a lot of them won't be coming back from this mission."

There was total silence as the scientist looked into his friend's bottle green eyes and saw an expression he rarely showed to anyone.

Fear.

"Have you told Hammond?"

"I tried," Jonas had a funny look on his face. "Without looking like I've lost a few marbles up here." He tapped his head in resignation.

Silence followed his statement. Daniel closely studied his friend's profile while Jonas simply stared at his feet lost in thought.

Finally, the archaeologist cleared his throat. "All right, I'll help."

Jonas' face brightened. His jaw dropped in surprise and his eyes as big as saucer plates. "You will? Really?"

Daniel grinned devilishly. "On one condition."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas Quinn adjusted the strap of the big messenger bag that he always lugged around whether he be at the base or on a mission off world.

"Too busy to see us off, huh?"

He started at the sound of the sulking voice and turned to look at the person that suddenly appeared beside him. Jonas chuckled. "Says who?"

"Well," Capt. Aidan Edrald began, making a face as he looked at the offending bag. "You couldn't leave that bag behind for just a few moments to go take a peek at the Gate room and say, "Bye. Take care and don't forget to pick me up a t-shirt, will ya?" that kind of stuff."

Jonas smirked. "Got everything you need?" He made a quick once-over at Edrald's appearance.

Edrald wore the military's standard extreme cold weather BDU: snow camo white parka, trousers and boots to match. A black balaclava covered most of his head and face and an olive green hydration harness dangled over one shoulder which was (the bulky green or black tac vest was out of the question) no doubt full of spare clips, a couple of MREs, a compact first aid kit, a hunting knife, a spare handgun and whatnots.

The young captain also had strapped riding low on his right thigh a holster called a ground pounder thigh rig. And instead of the usual pistol, the holster was customized to comfortably house a zat gun. The rest of his gear and P-90 were carried by an airman following a few steps behind them.

Edrald nodded with an earnest seriousness on his face. "I promise we'll get Malek out of there in one piece. Don't worry."

"I never doubted that, Aidan. I'm just-" Jonas was unable to finish what he was going to say when he felt another presence nearby.

Edrald followed Jonas' line of sight and quickly recognized the Gate operator from level 12.

"A moment of your time, Mr. Quinn?" Winston said the Kelownan's name with much emphasis. He was standing a little ways off. If Jonas noticed it, he gave no indication whatsoever.

The two friends looked at each other. Edrald threw a questioning glance at Jonas who simply shrugged. "Don't keep us waiting." He said before walking away, the airman a few steps behind.

"It's not what you think." Winston said, as soon as the others were out of earshot. A confused looking Jonas gave Winston a half-smile, half-frown expression. "I didn't come here to thank you. I came here to tell you that whatever it is you're trying to pull, it's not gonna work."

There was a short pause on Jonas' part as he pulled his head back, more confused than ever. "I don't–"

"If you think what happened back there would make me feel grateful to you, you're wrong. You're the reason why it even started in the first place!"

When Jonas said nothing and merely looked at him, Winston continued. "You think you had everyone fooled, well, not me. I've seen your kind before so I know. Seeming all concerned and all that crap." He sneered. "If no one was around I bet you wouldn't give a rat's ass what happens to me. But you wouldn't want to lose face in front of your friends, to pass up the chance of becoming the hero. Well, newsflash, I know what you are and what you are is a farce and we both know it. You manipulate and scheme your way through everything just to get your way."

Silence stretched between them as they stared at each other. Seeing that Jonas just stood there saying nothing in defense to himself and wearing a blank expression on his face. In Winston's mind it was a clear indication that what he said hit the mark. "What, surprised that someone had seen through that mask of yours?"

"No." There was sadness in Jonas' dark green eyes. "I see a person that wants to show everyone how tough he is when really he isn't."

For a fraction of a second, Winston's composure slipped but quickly recovered from it. Winston scowled darkly before stalking away, pointing at the Kelownan menacingly.

"_You stay away from me."_

- - - o 0 o - - -

USAF officer and the SGC's Pentagon liaison, Major Paul Davis silently observed the two men in dark blue base BDUs standing on either side of Gen. Hammond. Maj. Brendan Griffith was there, too. He came to see his former SG-2 teammates off.

_They both seemed to be okay with it now, _Davis thought, throwing a couple more covert glances at the pair.

To the base commander's left stood Daniel, Jonas on his right. Daniel talked animatedly with the rest of them while Jonas simply talked to either Daniel or Capt. Edrald.

If circumstances were different, Davis knew that Hammond would readily allow them to come along, knowing that they could very much take care of themselves. Although the NID situation on the base was taken care of, there was still the headhunting business they had to consider. Somehow, these people managed to know the whereabouts of both Daniel and Jonas whenever they went off world and boldly attempted to capture them a few times. Their safety was a priority since they were important assets to the Stargate Command. They just weren't safe anywhere these days. If Earth hadn't been an Asgard protected planet, these individuals would've no doubt infiltrated the base long ago.

The MALP brought back images and also fed them preliminary readings of the planet's atmosphere, temperature, gravity and other vital information necessary for them to launch a successful infiltration of an unknown Goa'uld territory.

Their first glimpse of the very much contested planet weren't all that impressive. The Stargate was located inside what looked like an immense old shallow crater. Some portion of its walls had long ago crumbled, allowing them to see what it looked like beyond it. A vast expanse of white nothingness. At least to Davis' point of view. The floor of the crater was also covered in snow but a pathway could be clearly seen leading away from the bottom of the platform and straight out the crater.

The Tok'Ra agreed on wearing the outer extreme weather condition suits (EWCS) over their own clothing like the rest of the Tau'Ris since they couldn't guarantee that the symbiotes they carry alone could provide them sufficient warmth on unknown territory.

"Alright, people," Ferretti announced a few moments later after seeing that they were good to go. Harriman took care of the dialing sequence while they did some last minute checkups on their gears and equipment. "Let's get this show on the road!"

Gen. Hammond couldn't help smiling at Ferretti's exuberance. "Good luck."

"You owe me a long vacation after this, general." The major chided before he excused himself to have a private talk with the CO of SG-11, Army Col. Bennett.

"Thank you, George." Jacob Carter said in his solemn voice. He extended a hand to which his friend readily shook.

"Just hurry on back." Hammond replied seriously. "Be safe."

"Oh, could you tell Sam to buy me one of those new Barbie doll houses that came out a few weeks ago, for Clarissa's birthday." Jacob said, remembering his youngest granddaughter whose birthday was coming up in a few days.

"She already bought one," Daniel joined in, rocking on the balls of his feet with hands clasped behind his back, smiling lopsidedly. "But I believe that's _her_ gift to Clarissa."

Jacob looked at him in bewilderment, sighed then shook his head. "I knew I shouldn't have pointed that out to her the last time we went shopping." He chuckled.

With the remotely reactivated MALP to watch over the other side of the Gate for any sign of unfriendlies, the rescue team and their equipment began to cross the event horizon in twos and threes until only three men were left: Ferreti, Jacob and Davis.

Ferretti went through first. Followed by Jacob and finally Davis.

But before he crossed, Davis turned one last time to silently nod his head at the general out of respect to the military officer. He wouldn't even be in this mission if not for him and for that alone he was grateful. He rarely gets to go out on off world missions.

With that, Davis turned and took the last two steps that would bring him somewhere on the other side of the galaxy to rescue a fallen comrade at arms from their enemy the Goa'uld.

The last thing he heard as he entered the warped space were dull thudding sounds in quick rapid succession as something hit the metal ramp again and again and the feeling of losing his balance as he entered the event horizon.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Standard protocol did not dictate for the commander to remain in the Gate room to see his men off nor was it his duty to be present to welcome them back either. There were others of lesser rank that could easily do that in his stead.

But Hammond never saw it as a duty or a responsibility. Everyone at the SGC was family and he was seeing them off just like any family member would. He silently watched as Ferretti disappeared through the Gate.

A loud sigh escaped Daniel's lips that caught his attention. Hammond turned to look at the archaeologist, knowing very well the reason of the young man's sudden melancholy.

"Well," Daniel said softly. He stopped rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet a few moments ago and was now swinging his body from side to side like a little kid, as he looked on, impatient on staying at one place for a long time. "I guess that's it."

"Yeah…" replied Jonas in a dead pan manner. Hammond had completely forgotten about him since the Kelownan hadn't said a word for a while. He stood there unmoving to Hammond's right as he stared fixated at the active Stargate unconsciously clutching onto the strap of the large messenger bag he was carrying.

Daniel accepted his decision with little resistance although the displeasure on his face couldn't be ignored. He didn't say much about it afterwards which led the others to believe that he accepted the situation as it were.

However, Jonas' reaction was the complete opposite. If anything, he was persistent and tried, not once but twice, to convince the general to permit him to go with them to rescue Malek. Davis began to wonder the real reason behind Jonas' insistence in coming along with the others to al-Kahira.

Whatever the situation was, Hammond never doubted for a second that the two of them wouldn't show up at the Gate room to see everyone off. Jonas seemed to have calmed down a bit-Daniel probably had something to do with it-but didn't say much.

Jacob followed Ferretti not long after.

"We'd better go," Daniel said more seriously. He completely stopped swinging and stood still.

The general felt rather than saw Jonas Quinn shrug. "Okay…" he said tersely. It was unusually strange to hear the Kelownan answer in monosyllables.

"We've got a lot of things to do, you know." Daniel continued, throwing Jonas a sideways glance, in a reprimanding but gentle voice cutting away the sting of his words. "We're way behind schedule."

"Can't be helped."

"Hmmm…" The archaeologist seemed to ponder at this for a moment. "I guess it can't, can it?" he grinned cheerfully, all seriousness gone from his boyish face, he began rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet again.

_At least, they're not neglecting work, _Hammond thought. Davis turned around for the last time and offered a solemn nod at him. He nodded stiffly back.

"Shall we then?"

Jonas made a gesture. "After you."

Right before George Hammond's eyes and before anyone had time to react, Daniel Jackson and Jonas Quinn broke out on a flat run up the low metal ramp, pushed the unsuspecting Davis with them, disappeared through the wormhole and were gone.

A split second later, the wormhole automatically disengaged from the Stargate without prompting signifying a quick transfer from the Earth Stargate to the other, leaving behind stunned disbelief in its wake. There was nothing anyone could do but stare at the now inactive two-story, sixty-four-thousand-pound, naquadah-made Ancient device as the sound of the Gate klaxon, with its long and low mournful sound, wailed eerily throughout the base-like a harbinger of bad things to come.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait. Yes. Another record breaking hiatus I placed myself into. And I will apologize in advance for what is going to be a really long author's note. Partially blame it on _The Sims 3_. Anyways, here's another chapter that brings this story closer to its end. (Yay!). And yes, _Kandy_, I have every intention of finishing this no matter what. Speaking of which, I've been writing fics since as far back as the 4th grade but I've only come to realize this one weird habit that I've acquired through the years. I find that I write better during the night. I mean better because the night seem to calm me down and words and thoughts just flow naturally whereas I blunder to find the right words during the day. Maybe because when I look out my window there's nothing to distract me much (since it _is_ dark) and activities somewhat die down a bit, creating a more relaxed atmosphere making me think more clearly and get 'em creative juices flowing.

Alright, on with the story.

Oh and one more thing, this story is a work in progress. Meaning I will revise chapters already posted. Since English isn't my native language I made a lot of glaring mistakes and I intend to correct them as much as I can.

**Chapter Spoiler:** _Fail Safe

* * *

_

"_Cheer up, the worst is yet to come."

* * *

_

**36**

The first two shock waves completely took out their shields. Those that immediately followed took out their main and auxiliary systems and engines with ease.

The force of the explosion expanded outward in waves upon waves of destructive kinetic energy. It mercilessly pummeled the huge ship again and again rocking it violently back and forth. Its crew could actually hear the ship groaning and straining from the extreme stress it was being dealt with, like a boat caught in a massive storm out on open water.

The pel'tak was a hive of activity. Unlike that on a ha'tak mothership, the bridge that doubled as a throne room had 3 consoles that, each one manned by a Jaffa, were grouped together to form a loosely wide arc in front of a rhomboidal viewport. The throne was elevated, encircled by a ring-like naquadah about two feet from the throne. It was cut at both sides and at the back, the gap wide enough to let one person through.

The inner part of the ring was smooth and a solid gray-black mass, very different from the outer part which was inlaid with gold, a trademark of Goa'uld architecture. It was slightly curved with its base jutting towards the throne a few inches more while the outer part was curved outwards, creating an inverted C.

While the men tried to regain control of the smau'Tep, their master silently sat on his throne, listening to the reports coming in from all over the ship: Shields non-existent. The main system was totally unresponsive while the auxiliary barely hanging on. Primary and secondary engines were both offline. Internal communications were down in most areas. Life support nearly gone. Hull breaches were detected all over the ship. Some areas were automatically sealed for security purposes, unoccupied or otherwise.

The blast was powerful enough that even at this distance it wrought tremendous damage on a ship that massive, rendering them completely immobile and defenseless.

"Locating the al'kesh shall be our priority, master."

"No need." the Goa'uld System Lord countered, staring out at the fiery red planet. "I do not believe a ship that small can survive such an explosion. Bring life support back and attend to the hull breaches first. The safety of the crew and this ship _is_ our priority."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"…_er. Major Carter."_

Sam's eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. She started at the sight of a familiar face looming close to hers, one side covered with thin streaks of blood running freely down his face.

She bolted straight up but almost instantly fell back down on the deck as pain on her side made its presence felt along with the shooting pains on the back of her head, not to mention her world making a slow clockwise spin. A soft groan then escaped her lips, her eyes shut tight. She fought back the overwhelming nausea that came soon after threatening to spill this morning's breakfast all over the deck.

"Are you conscious, Major Carter?" The nameless man gently inquired.

"You're injured," was her weak answer.

"This is nothing." He said, trying to reassure her. "It will heal in a few moments."

She said nothing as she tried putting a name to the face. She knew he was Tok'Ra from his clothing and the unmistakable "double voice" – a trait they shared with the Goa'ulds – not to mention they were onboard a tel'tak.

As soon as she finished this train of thought, everything suddenly fell into place with lightning speed. Anise, the female Tok'Ra scientist with them on this mission, came to SGC and asked Maj. Carter to accompany them to this place-of course that also meant that the rest of SG-1 was coming with them with the exclusion of Daniel Jackson. Anise's companions were Inares and Banos, the man she was talking to right now.

She again tried to rise, more carefully this time. Banos was quick to assist her, a thing she was grateful for, and led her to the closest bulkhead to keep her upright.

The major made a mental examination of her body. Nothing seemed to be broken or displaced but she definitely ached all over and grimaced when her hand came into contact with a large lump at the back of her head. She momentarily cracked open an eye but immediately closed it when everything started spinning.

"The light," she blurted out.

"It is coming from the planet we are currently orbiting." Banos answered from somewhere nearby.

_Planet? Orbiting? _She sat there unmoving for some time. She could hear the Tok'Ra moving about nearby and was grateful for leaving her alone so she could get her bearings back.

Once she was sure that her sight was functioning somewhat normally, the major took her first long look around. Everywhere she turned the red orange light shining through the ship's viewport was everywhere giving everything it touched an eerie unnatural glow.

The air seemed a bit chiller around her but she didn't mind. The silence was bliss, she thought, any kind of noise wouldn't be good for her head at the moment. It was good. She immediately stopped short. No. It was bad.

Sam cocked her head to one side trying to listen and laid a hand palm down on the deck. "We're not moving." Sam said a few moments later, noting the lack of vibration from running engines.

"You are correct."

She whipped her head around look at him. That was her mistake. Everything started swirling again. She quickly shut her eyes from it. "The others…"

"I, too, have only come around." Banos explained. "The two of you were the first ones I saw."

Her eyes were automatically drawn to an unconscious figure lying near her, eyes as wide as saucer plates. "Is he-"

"Inares is fine," he reassured her, glancing at the unconscious man. "However, the host suffered internal injuries and is treating him as we speak. It is best we leave them to it for now."

She nodded in acquiescence. Although, she'd been host to Jolinar for only a very short time, Sam knew enough that the symbiotes could heal most injuries and diseases its host could be afflicted with but there were instances that were life threatening not only to the host but to the symbiote as well so there was still a possibility that one or both of them could die in the process.

The look Banos gave the other Tok'Ra was not lost to her. Worry was clearly written on his face. She knew exactly how it felt seeing a friend in obvious pain and there was nothing you could do but watch over them and hoped for the best.

The wound on Inares' chest looked nasty. A thin film of sweat covered his upper lip. His breathing was shallow and rapid, his face pallid. His eyelids fluttered constantly while the eyes behind closed lids moved erratically.

"The least we could do is make them comfortable," Sam suggested. "We have a first aid kit in the cargo h-"

A nearby sound startled the two of them. She looked across the room and saw a figure rising unsteadily to his feet. "Teal'c."

The huge Jaffa turned at the sound of his name. Her relief turned to horror when she noticed a long cut just under his right eye and the way his right arm hung limply on his side. He quickly went towards them. "Are you all right, Major Carter?"

"I should be the one to ask you that," she said, concerned at the sight of the torn blood-soaked right sleeve of his uniform.

"This is nothing," Teal'c said, looking at the bloody gash on his bicep dispassionately. He looked more imposing in the red orange light. "It will heal soon." He took off his coat, rolled it, made sure that the bloodied sleeve was tucked away, and created a makeshift pillow which he placed under Inares' head.

She wearily leaned her head against the bulkhead. "What happened?"

"Our ship was hit as we were leaving the system." Banos replied.

Sam frowned. "What hit us?"

"We are uncertain." Banos haltingly said. "Whatever it was originated from somewhere behind us. It was powerful enough to knock out our systems."

"Then why aren't we spinning?" It was the last thing she remembered before blacking out-their ship careening out of control as they were hit by something pretty hard.

"Inares took us out of it." The Tok'Ra explained, casting another concerned glance down at his comrade. "They are both excellent pilots. They did the best they could but the ship couldn't handle the enormous strain and… there was an explosion." He drew a long ragged breath at the end of his sentence.

Sam looked sympathetic. Things could've been a lot worse for all of them if the colonel hadn't insisted-

"The colonel," Sam bolted upright. It was only then did she realized there was no sign of her commanding officer anywhere and began to frantically look for him. If memory served her right, he was standing by the central console when they got blindsided by a powerful something.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c joined in.

She started to rise, of a mind to search for him, but Teal'c wouldn't let her, pinning her down effectively with one large hand over her shoulder. She was about to protest when they heard a cough from somewhere. They froze.

"Colonel?"

Everyone strained to listen. A few more seconds they heard another series of coughing followed by a grunt.

The pressure on her shoulder lessened and she took this as an opportunity free herself from Teal'c's grasp. The sound seemed to be coming from the rear section of the cargo ship. The force of the impact must've thrown him all the way back there. She called out to him again, louder this time, flashing her light through the open bulkhead.

The light revealed the state the hold was in. It was chaos inside. Gears, equipment, crates and containers were strewn all over the small room. Some were upended; others were lying on their sides, a few popped open spilling their contents on the deck.

At the very back of the cargo hold movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she quickly swung her flashlight there. A raised arm came into view as her light hit the colonel's face who was just starting to come around. He grunted as the light's intensity hits his eyes but Sam was too taken aback to realize it.

The female Tok'Ra Anise was there lying right on top of him!

Jack O'Neill seemed equally surprised when he felt something warm and squirming pinning him down the deck and was even more surprised when that something turned out to be Anise lying right on top of him.

Jack threw an innocent look at Sam before looking back at Anise who was starting to come around and quickly but carefully helped her up.

Sam silently watched this tableau with an inscrutable look on her face. She stood there for a good two seconds before the sound of approaching footsteps pulled her back to reality. She quickly swung the light away from the couple and, together with her eyes, began looking everywhere but at them.

"First aid," she suddenly mumbled, chanting the words over and over again, flashing her light this way and that as Teal'c appeared right behind her.

"O'Neill?" The Jaffa's low voice boomed into the cargo hold. He was about to step into the hold but stopped just in time before he collided with Sam who was on her way out, the first aid kit slung on her shoulder. She mumbled an apology at which Teal'c gave her a deliberate nod and took a step back to let her pass.

The major pushed the image of them at the back of her mind rummaging through the kit to clean Inares' wounds with. Banos who was examining the different ship controls quickly came near and they both set to work.

She half listened to the conversation going on around her, concentrating on the Tok'Ra's wound. They were clearly in discomfort so she made her movements quick and light. As she reached for the roll of bandage in the bag, Anise's hands closed around hers. Sam looked up surprised.

"Let me do it." Anise said, in hushed tones. "You are needed elsewhere, major."

They both glanced at the men standing by the flight controls, their backs to them. Sam nodded in understanding and left the woman to look after Inares. It was only after she found herself standing in front of the viewport that Sam was able to look outside-and saw nothing but the burning planet below.

The impact must've caused them to fall into orbit with the planet they were trying to get away from. It really wasn't that bad considering the strength of the explosion could've pushed them careening into space instead with little hope of regaining control of the ship or what was left of it.

The hologram console that nestled between the pilot and co-pilot chairs which mostly displayed sensor scans was now just a blackened piece of burnt metal. This must be the one Banos was referring to that exploded and injured Inares a while ago.

What caused that explosion exactly and where did it came from? From the planet, the al'kesh or that mothership Teal'c called a smau'Tep? They couldn't know for sure.

Jack experimentally placed both hands on the red globular device equivalent to a yoke on a plane and waited. Nothing. Not even a flicker of light radiated from within the device. He grimaced. "No way for us to steer around, see where we are in relation to those ships?"

The Tok'Ra shook his head no. Another grimace.

There was cause for worry. For one thing, their ship was facing the wrong direction. Somewhere out there was a Goa'uld mid-range bomber and a mothership, the likes of which Sam had never seen nor heard of before.

Jack began pressing buttons here and there. Nothing. He turned to Banos. "How long do you think it'll take you to get everything back up again?"

And as if to emphasize the direness of their situation they all heard a soft _pop-hiss _from somewhere overhead. They all looked up and then at one another.

"That doesn't sound good." Jack commented, voicing out what was on everyone's mind.

"I will see to it now." Banos replied, leaving with a quick nod of the head.

Sam was not far behind. "I'll go and help them."

Jack ran back into the cargo hold and emerged a few moments later with a mini blowtorch and a stick of charcoal in hand. A small blue flame licked one end of the stick and they all watched as a thin trail of smoke rose sideways towards the ship's starboard side.

The sense of urgency was further heightened by this new and immediate threat. If they couldn't find a way to stop their ship from venting air into space, the Goa'uld detecting their presence there would be inconsequential in a matter of minutes.

"Yes." Jack said distractedly. "Now would be good."

- - - o 0 o - - -

The Goa'uld stood by one of the tall windows in the main throne room staring down at the planet where he lost one of his most loyal servants. One or all of the mesh'tyws the al'kesh was carrying exploded prematurely causing a series of simultaneous explosions that took out the bomber and its passengers in an instant, the shock wave it created efficiently crippled the smau'Tep in seconds.

Something made him turn his head to look over his shoulder just as the door opened.

"I hope you are the bearer of good tidings."

"Master." It was one of the Jaffa in the pel'tak. "We managed to successfully restore half of our systems the rest is still being repaired as we speak."

He continued staring at the planet. "Casualties?"

"A good handful were injured but no life lost except for-" the Jaffa stopped midsentence.

"That is good to hear. Any chances of restoring all systems back online?"

"Yes, master, but it may take some time."

He sighed. There was no helping it. Kalen was going to be very unhappy once he hears about this. "Very well. Do what you must."

He dismissed the Jaffa with a casual wave of an elegant hand. "Also," he finally turned around to look at him. "Inform everyone that I commend them for a job well done."

When the Jaffa left he found himself alone once again in the throne room. He stood there unmoving, looking out the viewport, lost in his own thoughts. His head suddenly turned a notch to the right again, looking over his shoulder just as he did before the Jaffa entered the room earlier but, of course, no one was there.

_Maya…_

"Yes," he whispered in the darkness. "Be patient a little while longer. Soon we will come and take you home."

_Maya…_

- - o 0 o - - -

By now, the cargo ship was on the dark side of the planet, completely hidden from the smau'Tep's view.

"So far, we got main power back online at sixty percent, auxiliary at forty-eight, life support, lighting, hull breach already taken care of and twenty-two percent sublight enough for minimum steering." Sam stated, hunched over an open access panel located at the right side of the helm. Those alone took them a good hour and forty minutes with life support at the top of their list-that took them a little less than 2 minutes. "Banos said hyperdrive appears to be fine."

"Can we use sublight now? I wanna steer this ship around."

Sam made a face as she shook her head in uncertainty. "I wouldn't advise it, colonel. We might have need for it later."

"What of navigation?" Teal'c inquired.

Banos' head, a snowy white bandage now wound around his forehead, appeared from behind the central console. "The crystal was damaged. We are now searching for a suitable replacement."

"Got no spare lying around for that?" Jack asked from his position at the helm.

"We do not carry that much with us." Anise said apologetically.

"We used all that we could, sir. The crystal Banos needed was used to replace the one for life support. If we take that out-"

"Alright, major. I get it." Jack cuts in. He sighed. "Cloak. What about cloak?"

Sam turned to look at the Tok'Ra who shook his head. "Sorry, sir." Jack twisted his upper body around to look directly at his 2IC. She knew the look he gave her. "Look, if the Goa'ulds already found us out we wouldn't even be here."

"Major Carter is correct," Teal'c said in agreement. "Due to our close proximity to the explosion it is conceivable that the smau'Tep may be having trouble detecting us."

"Good. We already got problems of our own to worry about them." A short pause. "Any way to crank up that percentage on sublight?"

"We're working on it."

"Shields?"

Sam shook her head.

Jack winced. "Weapons? Please tell me we at least got weapons."

"All crystals were burned," was Banos' reply.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, exhaling loudly. This day just got better and better. "Great. No cloak. No shields. No weapons. Steering's basically useless. We're naked as a newborn. We're sitting ducks out here!"

"The explosion." Anise said to no one in particular as she carefully shifted Inares' head to comfortably rest on her lap. "Do you think it came from the planet?"

"No." Jack tossed the answer over his shoulder in a casual manner. "Whatever it was came from that bomber."

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Teal'c turned to him, one brow raised. "You seem certain of this, O'Neill."

"Indeed." Anise seconded. "You were also certain we were in danger earlier and were adamant that we leave this system immediately."

Jack's right eye twitched like it always did whenever he found himself in a tight spot. He glanced surreptitiously at the Jaffa as he started pressing buttons on a very dead console in front of him. "A little birdie told me." No one said anything as they waited for him to continue. Jack gave in eventually. "Jonas."

"Jonas?" Sam echoed in disbelief. Jack grunted. There was that twitch again. "How could he have known about this?"

The colonel shrugged. "Beats me. It never really made sense to me at the time until we started making a beeline for the al'kesh."

"When did this happen?" Sam couldn't help asking.

"At the infirmary just before Anise and the Tok'Ra arrived." Jack caught them exchanging glances. "Look, I don't know how the kid knew. We can ask him ourselves once we get back to SGC. Now, can we _please _get this thing to work? There's a badass mother of all motherships just a couple of hundred klicks from us out there. This Mao-thing-"

"Smau'Tep." Teal'c interjected.

"Whatever." Jack barked, irritated at being cut off. A light on the navigation console suddenly blinked beside Teal'c eliciting a hearty shout from the colonel. "Now we're talking!" He rubbed his hands gleefully as he turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Keep 'em coming, people. The sooner we get out of here the better."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jaffa guards flanked him left and right. They spread out as soon as they entered the pel'tak. He sat on the chair at the center of the room.

"We are able to restore an adequate amount of power to the hyperdrive systems. Shields are at maximum. Navigation is functioning flawlessly." One of the three Jaffa by the controls reported as soon as they felt his presence in the pel'tak. The repairs took long as they had expected. "If there is nothing more his lordship wishes to do here we can immediately set course for-"

"We are detecting another ship," another Jaffa controller announced. "A smaller vessel on the dark side of the planet."

"The al'kesh?" one of the Jaffa inquired.

"Unable to identify. Our long range scanner is only working at half capacity plus there is strong interference coming from the planet."

The lead controller turned to the Goa'uld. "Shall we deploy a henu'sek to see what it is, my lord? It might be our missing al'kesh."

The System Lord nodded. "Make it a squadron, Jaffa, for I do not believe that to be one of ours." He left his chair and strolled towards the viewport, once again looking down at the bright orange planet. "It would certainly be interesting to see what it is."

- - - o 0 o - - -

Sam was hard at the work on the access panel by the right side of the helm that she failed to notice Anise's approach behind her.

"Water, Major Carter?" She offered. The woman gladly accepted the canister and thanked her with a smile. Anise sat down beside her and leaned against the bulkhead. "Any progress?"

The major shook her head. "Couldn't get the shields online. Even if we do have hyperdrive capability it's as good as nothing if we can't get the shields up."

Between her and Banos, they managed to push the sublight to a hundred percent, main power up another twenty, the auxiliary to almost fifty percent but they still had no weapons, no shields and cloak. They managed to get communications online but chose to shut it off since it was a waste of power and they had no need for it. Navigation was the latest one they were able to bring back up, albeit, its short range scanners only.

The al'kesh was nowhere to be found much to their puzzlement but in its place they detected high amounts of radiation. It was plausible that the bomber was destroyed in the explosion.

Meanwhile, Jack and Teal'c made themselves useful by fixing the rare compartment. They placed all their gears and equipment near the bulkhead door and continued stacking the rest of the containers upright.

Sam drank some of the water from the container. "How's Inares?"

Anise looked across the cockpit to where the young man lay unconscious. His wounds were cleaned and dressed but showed no signs of waking up. He had been like that for more than three hours now. "They developed a slight fever but they seem to be more comfortable now thanks to your first aid kit, major."

The Tau'ri noticed Banos pause from what he was doing long enough to look at the inert form of their helmsman. "They must be very good friends." She commented. "Banos wouldn't leave his side if he could help it."

"Of course Banos would not under normal circumstances." The Tok'ra said looking at her before shifting her gaze at her companions. "Inares is their mate." Anise stood up, leaving a dumbstruck Maj. Carter staring after her.

A series of soft blips echoed throughout the cargo ship. Jack and Teal'c ran towards the controls to see what it was. They stared at the navigation screen for a moment as if they weren't sure what they were seeing was real. Jack swore.

"Carter, you might want to pick up the pace back there." Jack said as he powered up the helm. "We got company."


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** Writing dialogue isn't my forte so if there's anything here that confuses, befuddles or you guys simply just don't plain get, that would be my fault. Thank you _kaseykc _for the beta. Now I feel so much better.

**Chapter Spoilers:** _Crossroads, The Curse, Descent, Allegiance, Cure_

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**37**

The three-kilometre bolide entered the atmosphere at thirty kilometres per second creating one of the most colossal sonic booms ever heard on the planet as the air in front of it, unable to get away, was violently compressed. Compression heated the air almost immediately until it reached a temperature of four or five times that of the sun, creating a blinding flash of light during that one-second traverse of the atmosphere.

The object, descending as a huge fireball, was visible at a distance of more than two thousand kilometres from the impact zone. Once it struck land bolide and rock were instantly vaporized creating a crater of about fifty-four kilometres in diameter formed a second or two upon impact. Within the next few months only eight percent of all life survived.

The only evidence that remained of this global cataclysm was the enormous ancient crater it left behind which was all but buried under sedimentary rock and snow. Its exposed raised rim was more than two hundred feet high with portions of it crumbling due to the atmospheric condition it was subjected to for thousands of years. This was the site chosen by the exploring Ancients to erect their Stargate.

The Ancients built the Stargate five hundred yards from a passage that was cut through the rock hewn base of the crater rim. Just outside the passage stood the oddly shaped stone pillars that served as a walkway of sorts to and from the Gate.

The only disturbance in the foot deep snow around the immediate vicinity of the Stargate were those made by the MALP's caterpillar tracks as it made a primary sweep of the area followed by the rescue team as they emerged from the event horizon.

SG-2 and SG-11 secured both flanks, the Tok'ra the front by the MALP. Jacob Carter, the SG team leaders Ferretti and Bennett converged by the DHD a few feet away from the still active Gate while they waited for the last member of their team to come through when a commotion caused them all to look up.

Three figures burst forth from the Gate. Two of them overshot the narrow stone platform and landed with a heavy thud on the ground rolling, displacing the snow around them. The third one in the middle wasn't as lucky. The poor man tumbled down the stone steps before landing unceremoniously in a heap on the freezing ground at the foot of the Stargate.

Several people ran to their aid. Jacob and Major Ferretti ran to the inert form lying on the ground. Major Bennett and three others helped the other two to their feet.

Ferretti was on his knees beside the fallen man. "Major?"

"Paul," Jacob Carter coaxed in a gentle voice beside him, "can you hear me, son?"

Maj. Paul Davis blinked once, twice. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He started to rise but Jacob gently pushed him back down not looking at all convinced. "Really, Jacob. I'm fine."

Selmak's host sighed in relief and watched as Ferretti and another airman helped the Pentagon official to his feet before turning his attention at their two "Gatecrashers".

"Somebody better give me a damn good explanation as to why the two of you are on the wrong side of the Gate before I decide to leave you here with nothing but the clothes on your back!" Jacob's voice considerably dropped in tone sending chills down their spines.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

The stunned silence that enveloped the control room was masked by the Gate klaxon as it continued to ring throughout the base although the Stargate had already automatically shut itself down.

Chief Master Sgt. Walter Harriman saw in his peripheral vision, his superior, Gen. Hammond, striding angrily across the control room through a side door. "Should I recall them, general?"

George Hammond wore a dark scowl on his face as he stood behind his Chief Gate operator's chair and took a long hard look at the inactive Gate through the viewport. All eyes were on him. "No," he growled. "We cannot risk alarming the Goa'ulds to their presence."

"But what about Dr. Jackson and Mr. Quinn?"

A tic appeared on Hammond's jaw. "Unless Jacob sends them right back, there's nothing we can do. They're on their own." He said it like he got a bad taste in his mouth. "I just hope no one else decides to drop by and join the party."

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

"It was my fault, Jacob." Jonas Quinn quickly admitted. "I forced Daniel into coming with me here."

"You think this is some kind of game, Jonas?" Jacob barked, walking up to them. He was in full general-dressing-down-a-subordinate mode. "In case you haven't noticed, the situation's already dangerous enough without the two of you tagging along."

"Jacob-"

"And you!" Jacob interrupted, turning his attention to the man beside Jonas. "Daniel, you should know better. We have no idea how the headhunters were able to track the two of you down and yet here you are looking for even more trouble. You're jeopardizing our only chance of rescuing Malek!"

"_That_ is why we're here." Jonas dared say.

Jacob whipped his head around and looked Jonas in the eye, scowling. "Excuse me?" He said in that commanding voice of his.

"We're here to make sure that nothing bad happens and that everyone gets home safely."

Jacob fixed a level stare at Jonas. "Is there something you two know that we don't?"

"Well… uh… it's kind of…"-Daniel stuttered, clearing his throat as he exchanged a nervous glance with Jonas-"complicated."

Jacob turned on his heel and, as he passed Major Ferretti, said, "Dial Earth, major. We better return them to George before they both freeze to death."

Jonas held out a hand. "We're not going to-"

Jacob growled out warningly, his hand made a slashing motion in the air. "I don't want to hear it."

But Jonas didn't heed the warning. "But Jacob, you don't-"

"Jacob." Daniel signalled Jonas to let him handle this before running after Jacob. "Jacob, wait."

"We don't have time for this, Daniel."

"We are well aware of that."

"I don't need this kind of complication right now."

"Yes, I know."

"What if something happens to you? What am I going to tell George and the others?"

"We can take care of ourselves."

"Not in the least bit reassuring. My decision stands. Go home."

"I-if you could just hear us out-"

"I've heard enough." Daniel swung around and stood right in the middle of the other man's path, holding his ground. Jacob frowned disapprovingly. "This matter is not open for discussion, young man. Go. Home."

"I know what we said back there sounded lame and that you think that we just did it without thinking of the people that are after us thus endangering everyone's lives in the process but believe me when I say that we are only trying to help."

"Then you two should've stayed put in the goddamned base like you were supposed to!" Jacob looked like he was about to rupture a vein the way he looked at him. Daniel gulped as he watched the other man walk away only to double back again. "If this is as important as you say it is then why didn't you say anything back at SGC in the first place?"

"Jonas tried to tell Hammond." Daniel began. "But since he lacked proof to substantiate his claim the general would have none of it."

"Tried to tell what exactly?"

"Jonas believes that something will go wrong, whether it's mission related or not, we don't know for sure, but he's convinced that whatever it is – it's not good for our side."

"Did he say how he came upon this information?"

Daniel opened his mouth to answer, hesitated then began again. "I can't tell you-"

"Daniel-"

"Actually, I don't know exactly _how_ to tell you."

Jacob shook his head in frustration and began walking back to the others without waiting to see if Daniel was right behind him or not. He hadn't taken more than three steps when Daniel finally gave in and was running after him.

"All right. All right! I'll tell you." There was a long pause, as if Daniel was trying to think where to begin. "I think you already know about Jonas having these certain 'abilities', right?" And so Daniel recounted the conversation he had with Jonas back in his office that morning.

At this Jacob sighed. "Jonas is my friend, don't get me wrong, but like George I would like to have more proof than that."

"Most of you won't be coming back." Daniel said gravely. He paused for a moment to let the words sink in. "That's what Jonas felt and that alone is enough to propel him to action. If you only saw the look in his eyes when he told me about it, Jacob."

"And since when did a mission never have its risks, huh?" The Tok'ra snorted. "Tell me."

"And I'm telling you that this risk in particular he isn't really happy about."

"Daniel, if we listen to everyone who says they're worried every time we go out on a mission nothing will ever get done."

"I don't see any harm in being a little bit more cautious." Daniel reasoned. "I know it may seem farfetched but if it is within his power to stop it from happening, he will do what he must, of that I have no doubt. And right now he is convinced that by being here he could avert whatever it is from happening."

"And your reason?"

"To keep an eye on him."

Jacob looked at him askance. "So you're asking me to accept this at face value?"

"I would be of the same opinion myself were it not for the fact that those same hyper-abilities, as Janet would like to call them, recently saved SG-1, not to mention, had always been correct whenever it decided to manifest itself."

A shuttered look came over Jacob Carter's face as he stared silently at him. It was never a good sign. "Geez. I've been out of touch with Earth for a while and someone starts having delusions of grandeur." He muttered to no one in particular. "Now all we need is a statement coming from him that he's actually a descendant of Darth Vader."

Snow crunched underfoot from somewhere nearby.

"All we're asking is that you trust us." Jonas, who appeared out of nowhere, pleaded softly, his eyes looking straight into Jacob's. "I would never do anything that would endanger the lives of my friends or this mission."

Jacob suddenly sighed - a you're-not-getting-the-point-at-all sigh. "It's not a question of trust as it is so much about acting without thinking of the consequences." His visage suddenly appeared tired. "Have you ever thought what would happen to the two of you once we get back to SGC? That is if the headhunters do not get to you first. We're talking about insubordination on a grand scale here. Yes, you are civilians but you, Daniel, more specifically, work for the military and just because you usually get your way it doesn't mean that that will always be the case. Jonas may not fair better since he is an ambassador-"

"_Former_ ambassador." Interrupted Jonas. "I resigned my commission a few days ago. There was a conflict of interest and I knew better than to stay."

"_They may never trust the two of you again_." Jacob firmly continued. "Have you ever thought about that?"

Daniel looked him straight in the eye. It was his turn to cross his arms over his chest. "Oh my, aren't we in the same boat?" He said as he tried to pull his best sarcastic Jack O'Neill impression on Jacob.

The retired USAF general turned Tok'ra stiffened. "We're different."

"How different?" Daniel asked. "You guys sneaked through the Stargate behind the Tok'ra Council's back to rescue a friend. We sneaked through the Stargate to make sure you guys succeed and get back home safe and in one piece. I say we have a common ground." He quirked a brow with a 'don't-you-think-so' look on his face.

But Jacob Carter remained unmoved.

Daniel sighed. "We are all on the same side here, Jacob. We also want to get Malek back as much as you do. We're not here to stop you."

"All right," Jacob finally said after a few moments of silence, "suppose I believe you. What then?"

This time Jonas appeared stomped. "I don't know. I guess we go through with your plan and we'll see it from there." He said, shuffling uneasily on his feet.

"What if you're wrong and it is something that we can handle by ourselves?"

"Then that's good, isn't it? As for the two of us, we're doomed either way." Daniel shrugged. "If you send us back now we'd, no doubt, be in big trouble. Let us stay and help you rescue Malek, the situation waiting for us back at the base won't change, yes, but at least we did something worthwhile while we still can."

Jacob studied both of them and noticed that they were trembling slightly from the cold, although, they tried very hard to hide it. "Seriously, whose great idea was it you two jumping through the Gate?"

Jonas abashedly looked away, grasping the strap of his messenger bag till the knuckles in his fingers turned white. Daniel winced as he averted his eyes to the snow covered ground. "Mine," the archaeologist answered quietly.

Just then Ferretti joined them. "Jacob, we've got to get moving," he said. "I want to reach the mines before dark fall." He threw a disapproving look at the two civilians. "What about these two?"

"Let's get them home, major." Ferretti answered with a crisp "yes, sir" while their stowaways began to protest. "I can see you two shivering from a hundred feet away! Suffice it to say, you're not properly suited for this kind of environment."

"So basically what you're saying, Jacob, is that if we're properly geared for this mission you'll let us tag along?" Jonas cocked his head to one side.

"Obviously,"-Jacob crossed his arms-"you're not."

"Yes, we are." Jonas quietly contradicted nodding at the huge messenger bag slung across his shoulders.

Jacob looked troubled as he turned to Ferretti. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

_'You seem to be missing a guardian, rebel.'_

The badly deformed tin cup halted midway through thin lips as a pair of intense amber eyes quickly scanned the immediate area around them.

The Tok'ra known as Malek, currently disguised as a former Goa'uld overseer turned prisoner Gor'kesh, was hard pressed not to turn around to where he knew her tent stood. He took a small sip of the brackish water while their eyes covertly looked around.

_'We do not have a guardian.'_

_'Oh? I seem to remember a certain Jaffa who follows you around like one would expect from a loyal pet.'_

Malek's brows furrowed. _'Nee'chos is not our guardian,'_ he replied with more conviction, irked at the thought that this woman was making fun of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yarek leave the sea of tents that housed the prisoners, walking towards the mines. He was going to relieve Nee'chos for the night. The latter was bound to emerge from the underground any moment now.

_'Is there something of import you wish to discuss or are you simply trying to amuse yourself because there is not much else left for you to do since there is no game out there left for you to hunt?'_ he asked, not even trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

_'Ach. How cold. I simply eliminated those that threatened the safety of everyone here…'_

Malek wasn't kidding about it. As soon as the invading party had total control of the mines, this mysterious woman who went by the name Maya, set out alone on foot and effectively and efficiently annihilated any and all kinds of threat from the immediate vicinity of the naquadah mines. She was gone for three days and returned with her clothes darkly stained with blood of who knew how many animals she killed but herself remained unscathed.

It further strengthened their belief that this brown-skinned woman, with the lithe, graceful figure of a dancer, was not someone to be meddled with.

Danem was silently laughing at him. Malek's frown darkened. _'Unless there is a reason behind this sudden call of yours, I suggest delaying it for later. We still have work left to be done.'_

_'You said before that Egeria was found buried alive.'_

_'Yes.'_

_'In Pangar?'_

_'That is correct.'_

It was, after all, common knowledge that it was the planet where Egeria took her last stand against the overwhelming forces of the then Supreme System Lord Ra, so it was only logical to reach such a conclusion.

_'And that Tok'ra were not the ones that found her.'_

He threw what remained of the water on the ground then hung the empty cup on a nearby rack before trudging back towards one of the nearby open mine shafts to their left.

_'A Pangar scientist found her by chance inside one of Ra's temples in stasis. They imprisoned and did tests to her and her offsprings for so many years until SG-1 arrived on the planet.'_

_'At least in the end she was able to find out what happened to her children after all these years. Believe me when I say that your queen wouldn't have wanted anything else.' _A morose feeling accompanied her statement but it was gone before Malek could comment on it. _'Exactly how did the Tau'ri find out about her?'_

_'They were searching for new allies and found themselves on Pangar. Everything happened from there.'_

_'What were they like? SG-1? Seems like you know each other.'_

Malek's brows furrowed. _'If you are implying that if we know them intimately, no. We do not.'_

_'But you know them, yes? What were they like, the times you were with them?'_

Malek slowed their pace at the question.

_'Why would you like to know?'_

_'I was merely being curious. I have never met any of them personally. The Goa'uld couldn't stop talking about them along with the Tok'ra and the Jaffa Resistance.'_

_'You are not bothered by this, of your enemies growing in number?'_

_'No. I've told you before to not put words in my mouth, rebel.'_

_'For someone who works for a Goa'uld, you surely are indifferent.'_

_'There are far more important matters that require my attention. Besides, it is not my place to worry of such things.'_

_'They are quite an unexpected bunch. The same could be said true about their race. It is interesting to note that although their technology is no match against those of the Goa'uld they still managed to hold their ground. We have never encountered a race that is as quite as stubborn. And we believe that because of this stubbornness they managed to gain alliances along the way - in the most unexpected of places. SG-1 is the most enthusiastic group of individuals we have ever met.'_

_'Good enough to trust them with your lives?'_

Malek halted in mid step. _'We believe we could. Of course, that is only our personal opinion. Before, we wouldn't trust anyone except our own brethren. Not even our own allies.'_

_'Are you implying that they're different?'_

Malek pondered on this.

'_More than that, they made us realize one thing.'_

_'Realize… one thing?'_

They were just a step away from the entrance to the mine when Malek paused, thinking of how best to answer her question. Unbidden, his mind went back to the time when Jacob brought them to the Tau'ri Alpha site where he met, for the first time, the famed Colonel O'Neill.

_'A wise Tau'ri leader once reminded me that the Tok'ra were not alone in the fight against the Goa'uld.'_

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

"You guys really outdid yourselves this time."

Jonas Quinn and Daniel Jackson looked at one another before they both turned their attention to the man walking right behind them.

"Yes, well, it was the only viable option we had available, Captain Edrald." Daniel remarked panting a little as they ascended a small hill. "We knew we could sneak through the Stargate - that was the easy part. The rest depends on convincing Jacob, Ferretti and Bennett to not kick us back to Earth."

"I never heard Jacob use that tone of voice before," commented SG-2's civilian member Dr. Jim Grant walking ahead of them. He shot them a quick look over his shoulder in wonder. "How did you convince him not to contact Stargate Command?"

"We reached a compromise." Daniel replied in a low tone, hopping over a boulder jutting out of the snow.

"Daniel made a pretty convincing argument." Jonas finally spoke up, scanning the horizon to his right. "He didn't need my help back there."

The captain seemed not to hear what was being discussed as he continued his train of thought aloud. "And not only did you dare disobey the general and followed us all the way here," Edrald continued in total disbelief. "You even brought your own EWCS, to boot! How were you able to get a hold of a pair of it?"

"What escapes me is how you guys managed to squeeze them inside that bag." Grant sounded in awe of the two, staring at the item in question. "Adding weapons to your stash wouldn't be a bad idea since you almost got everything except something to defend yourselves with."

"We would have if we could. Unfortunately, I was unable to turn in my keycard yesterday for the new security codes to be entered." Daniel replied.

Jonas Quinn's messenger bag held nothing in it but a pair of winter EWCS for him and Daniel when everyone thought differently. It was normal seeing the Kelownan lugging the huge bag around the base - which usually carried research paraphernalia and stuff - so when he turned up at the Gate room with it in tow, no one really suspected anything until it was too late.

Edrald quickly walked past them and reached out a hand at his teammate in front of them in one fluid motion. Grant uttered a soft "hey!" when he felt a tug on his side. The captain then turned back to them and held out two zats on his hand. Daniel and Jonas took one each and said their thanks.

"Really," Edrald muttered, shaking his head a little helplessly. "You two are a handful. Just what were you thinking? You should by now have realized that you just like dug your own graves, right?"

Daniel cocked his head to one side. "It was a calculated risk."

"Is Colonel O'Neill going ballistic once he hears about this included in your calculated risk, Daniel?" Captain Edrald lectured before turning an accusing look at Jonas. "If I only knew what you were carrying in that bag when we bumped into each other at the corridor I would've talked you out of it."

Grant eyed his teammate. "C'mon, Aidan. You seriously believe you could discourage Jonas Quinn from going through with it?"

They'd been walking for a while now across uneven ground heading southwards, their only guide was the supposed message they received from Malek. Jacob said that the mines were about a kilometre and a half from the Stargate.

As the team came out of the crater stone monoliths lined what seemed to be of an ancient walkway, some of them still had stone lintels propped overhead that reminded them of Stonehenge. It must have been impressive in its day with each block spaced out evenly from each other although there were now gaps on some of them. Some crumbled to the ground half buried in the snow due to their long exposure to the elements; others seemed to be as recent as a few months.

On these they found numerous scorch marks no doubt from staff blasts – evidences that a battle had happened there.

They sent ahead a pair, a Tok'ra and another from Bennett's team, to scout the path they were going to take and report back anything suspicious to the party.

The snow covered landscape was almost barren with patches of vegetation here and there. Over the horizon to their left was a dark forest that ran parallel to them that stretched on for miles on both directions. Although they hadn't crossed paths with any of the planet's local wildlife yet the team knew they were there and the last thing they needed was a pack of large predators closing in on them unawares.

Jacob, Davis and Ferretti led the group, Bennett and his men took the rear with Daniel and Jonas somewhere in the middle. It was an estimated thirty-minute trek on foot on uneven ground but if they quicken their pace, they'd be able to cover more ground in less than twenty. The planet's weak sun ever covered by tall cumulus clouds made it difficult to gauge how much daylight they had left a concern Ferretti voiced out back at the Gate.

"I'm only thinking of their safety, Grant." Edrald reasoned. "Jacob's right. I mean a Goa'uld placed a hit on them, which in itself isn't unusual, but all this sudden hype is very unsettling. SGC is the only place they're safe right now. Don't think just because this planet's location was kept secret doesn't mean it can't be found. We did."

"But Jacob allowed them to stay." Grant countered. "This is basically a Tok'ra mission, we're just helping out, so if Jacob thinks it's okay for them to stick around, we wouldn't be having this discussion now, would we?"

"You have a point…"

Captain Edrald's voice trailed off as a distinct low rumbling sound reached his ears. It seemed to be coming somewhere from the forest to their left. Jonas must have heard it too, since he suddenly stood quite still, staring fixedly at the same direction where Edrald heard it.

And it seemed to be growing louder by the second.

The ground underneath them began to vibrate. As the tremor intensified, trees began to shake loosening snow off their leaves, raining down on them. Everyone raised their arms to protect themselves against the onslaught of hardened snow while trying to stay upright which was proving to be difficult by the second.

Earthquake!

Loud splintering noises rent the cold late afternoon air as trees were ripped from their trunks, branches torn out of trees. Thundering crashes, of trees falling to the ground, resounded around them. Out in the open there were no places to hide so all they could do was huddle closer to the ground and wait for the earthquake to stop.

The ground shaking was so violent land became displaced. Fissures on the snow covered ground suddenly appeared, branching off in all directions. Off to their right a huge chunk of land rose at an alarming rate while a few meters off another portion sunk into to the ground leaving a huge hole on the pristine white landscape. Some opened up to reveal an obsidian chasm below, swallowing up anything that fell into its gaping maw.

Jonas Quinn suddenly cried out in alarm as the ground underneath him disappeared into one of these ever widening fissures.

And him along with it.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

The first thing Malek noticed was the low rumbling sound coming from somewhere off to their right and it seemed to be growing louder. The next thing they noticed small debris began falling from the roof of the entrance of the mine shaft, covering the dark entrance with dust.

Before Malek could so much as lean in for a closer look, an unseen force threw them violently off their feet, landing just inside the poorly lit entrance, hitting their head against a rock wall in the process.

Malek felt something hot trickling on the side of their face but did not give it any notice. The first thing that registered in their mind was that they were under attack.

Until they heard a cry of warning from somewhere outside the mines. They clearly heard what was being said as the ceiling above them began to collapse threatening to bury them alive.

**- - - o 0 o - - -**

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

A look of surprise swept across Jonas Quinn's face, caught unawares by the predicament he suddenly found himself in. Arms flailing, Jonas tried to grab hold of anything he could to stop himself from falling but there was nothing but loose snow and soil dragging him further into the lip of the fissure.

Daniel Jackson shouted.

Aidan Edrald attempted to grab hold of Jonas' hand but he was a second too late.

Jim Grant caught the Kelownan by the sleeve of his jacket just below the elbow just as Jonas was about to disappear out of sight.

The sudden abrupt change in momentum swung the Kelownan forward – towards the fissure wall of hard packed snow. The jostling and added weight further aggravated the ground Grant was on, already weakened by the violent ground movement, collapsed. The philologist found himself sliding headlong towards the edge of the precipice right after Jonas.

With a cry, Edrald lunged forward, grasping Grant's extended arm with both hands. Daniel, too, acted quickly. He jumped and bear hugged the captain around the torso, digging the toes of his boots on the ground for leverage, shouting at the others for help.

Grant gasped out loud. He wasn't aware of what was happening above him. His precarious hold on Jonas broke off, feeling the rest of his arm slipping under his fingers.

Falling to his death.

Grant gasped again, this time because he felt a strong tug on his wrist. Someone one loudly swore above him, further tightening their grip on him, but Grant seemed unaware of it or the earthquake that continued to wreak havoc as he continued staring below him.

Jonas was there and he wasn't falling. The Kelownan had his fingers wrapped in a vise-like grip around his wrist. Grant did the same, his mouth set in a grim line of determination.

Hands reached out to help. It was tricky with all the shaking and the swaying but the others managed to haul the two of them to safety.

When the ground finally settled a few seconds later and everything was once again quiet and calm, the only thing that could be heard in the eerie stillness were their laboured breathing as they lay down exhausted on the cold ground.

The others quickly converged around them.

"Is everyone all right?" Jacob Carter asked, worried.

Daniel didn't move from where he lay, gulping in lungfuls of air. He craned his neck to where Jonas was lying down.

"That wasn't what you were trying to prevent, was it?"

* * *

_"It's kind of complicated." – a nod to the MacGyver episode, "Honest Abe" one of the funniest episodes of the show that I love._

_"I've been out of it for a while and everyone starts having delusions of grandeur." – Han Solo in Return of the Jedi._


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** I'm back after a long period of being out of the loop. My dad passed away last October 2010, and there were some personal matters I needed to take care of first before I could pick up where I left off with this story. No, this is not beta-ed by _kaseykc _(beta-ed Heir chapters 3-14 & 37), so I hope you will forgive me for my crappy writing.

Chapter Spoiler: _Stargate the Movie, Into the Fire, Deadman Switch, Redemption pt.1, Descent_

* * *

**38**

"Three enemy fighters are advancing on our location," Teal'c calmly announced.

_Great, _Jack thought with great dismay. _They sent out a squadron after us._

He quickly lifted his hands away from the helm as if scalded. His first instinct was to turn around, and get the hell away from there. But logic told him it wouldn't do them any good rushing things without assessing their current situation, and what other options they might still have.

"Carter?"

"I wish it was that simple, sir."

Anise came forward, scrutinizing the range indicator in front of Teal'c. "They are too fast to be death gliders," there was a sense of bewilderment in her voice. "Could it be…"

"It would seem to be so," was Teal'c's cryptic, without compunction, reply. "They will be here in one minute."

They seem to be in agreement about something. Jack had no idea what the heck they were talking about, and that bothered him. What else could they possibly be if they weren't death gliders?

He didn't want to get worried, but he's starting to get there. "Carter?"

"Finding a suitable replacement for each crystal is like looking for a needle in _a pile of needles_," Sam replied. And as if to substantiate her statement, soft clinking sounds could be heard somewhere behind him.

_That's it, _Jack thought, slapping both hands spread eagled against the globular helm with a resounding thwack, and quickly turned the ship around. _Guess all you want, but I ain't gonna stick around to find out what they are!_

"Forget cloak, major, just work on those shields. Shut off all but the necessary systems. We'll need all the extra power we can get. T, have those jump coordinates ready the second Carter gets our shields back up," Jack threw out the commands in rapid succession.

"O'Neill," Teal'c calmly looked at him sideways as the stars blurred, and the planet disappeared from view. "It would be impossible to outrun them given our present situation."

"Yeah? Well, staying put's not an option either," Jack retorted, returning the look the big guy just gave him. "They get one look at us, and we're done for."

Putting as much distance between them and their pursuers was not the only one he had to deal with. He hated the fact that the direness of their situation was holding him back from going full throttle. Warning bells rang at the back of his mind reminding him that the danger was not exclusive to the fighters behind them.

They knew with certainty that the ship sustained hull damage from the explosion, but just how extensive, they could only guess. The weakened parts of the hull might not withstand the rigors of hyperspace travel, and so without the protection of her shields, attempting a jump right now would be suicide. Period.

If they couldn't get the shields working again they're going to be stuck there with two remaining options left, and none of them good.

The colonel angrily shook his head. This was no time to entertain thoughts like that, not when the enemy was quickly closing in. Besides, they got Carter, one of the smartest brains on Earth, if not in the entire human race, with them, plus the Tok'ra so all he had to do was buy them some time. He needed his entire wits about him if they wanted this to pull through without a hitch. He needed to focus.

Darkness engulfed the entire ship as soon as the overhead lights were turned off. Their only sources of light illuminating the cockpit came from the control switches and the faint light coming from the stars outside.

"They are approaching from the light side of the planet," Teal'c informed, his huge dark eyes glued on the three small blips steadily moving towards them covering the distance between the two ships with ease. "They will be within target range in forty seconds."

_Didn't even bothered being inconspicuous, _Jack was as if the enemy was taunting them, flaunting their superior strength.

"And if it's not too much to ask,"-Jack kept seeing the words "butt naked" flashing an angry red in his mind-"weapons, too!"

A couple of scenarios played around inside Jack's head, all ending disastrously without the benefit of a shield. No matter which way he looked at it they were in a real bad shape, and that didn't made him one happy camper.

A cry nearly made the colonel jump from his seat.

"We have shields!" Sam cried out joyfully, her voice overflowing both with relief and disbelief.

"_Then we're outta here!"_ Jack kicked the small cargo ship into high gear, the fastest it could go.

"Opening a hyperspace window," Teal'c beside him calmly announced his hand busy with the control panels in front of him.

Through the viewport, everyone could see traces of a light purplish-colored mist-like anomaly begun taking shape a few clicks ahead of them; the beginnings of a wormhole. Jack unconsciously leaned his body forward as if that would help the ship fly any faster towards safety that enticingly beckoned to them dead ahead.

He welcomed the familiar pull of tidal forces as the ship came within the proximity of the wormhole's event horizon. Jack could easily envision the cargo ship elongating when viewed from outside because of the push and pull of gravity warping space this close to the anomaly.

The stars became starlines as they begun their hyperspace jump, but instead of seeing streaks of blue and white, the starlines shrank back into tiny specks of light. The tidal forces that only seconds ago held them in a vise-like grip suddenly let go, jolting the tel'tak back to real-time space.

The wormhole had also disappeared.

_What the-!_

As if that wasn't enough, the helm lights started to flicker. Jack unconsciously held his breath as he stared down at the globe beneath his hands with wide distraught eyes. It flickered a few more times before totally winking out.

"_Carter!" _

The major's heavy boots thumped across the deck running towards the rear section of the ship where the hyperdrive panels were located. Anise disappeared from his periphery while Teal'c examined the remaining functioning instrumentation in front of him. There were several soft hisses as access panels were pulled being open somewhere behind him.

"Shields and sublight are offline," Teal'c reported, his voice getting grimmer with each word, "as well as the hyperdrive."

Jack swore silently. Was there no end to the string of bad luck they've been having ever since arriving there? He swore some more. He would have to remind himself next time to make sure that these ships were carrying spares for each crystal before setting foot in them. _Lots and lots of spares._

Behind them the Tok'ra Banos was also busy working behind the center console. "Sublight is once again operational," the helm lit up as soon as he said this. "It appears that they came loose from their connectors, although, such an occurrence is unheard of. As for the shield crystals, we detect no visible damage to any of them. Attempting to reactivate."

"Hyperdrive?" No answer. Jack waited two more seconds. "Carter?"

Her voice floated through the open bulkhead. "I don't know, sir. It was working fine one minute then…"

"The explosion must have caused the hyperdrive system to malfunction," suggested Banos.

The major grudgingly agreed. "Assuming that the explosion was strong enough to generate enough EMP, coupled with the instability of the core, it could very well be-"

"Oy!" Jack called out, looking over his shoulder. "Debate all you want, Einsteins, but do it _after_ we get out of here!"

Teal'c looked at the timer. "Fifteen seconds."

"We've already used up all the crystals we could think of."

"What about the one that flushes the toilet?" Jack blurted out.

Teal'c stared at him from across the co-pilot's chair. Sam said nothing. It was a stupid idea anyways.

"You'll think of something, Carter," Jack encouragingly said, although his mind was churning. Sam Carter stomped was very bad news. Emphasize on _very_. "Don't worry."

His only option at the moment was to make the ship as little a target as possible, and to do that they had to be a step ahead of their enemy. If there was even the infinitesimal of chances that they were going to make it out of there alive, he had to do everything he could to make that happen.

_Ten seconds… five…_

Except for the engine's low hum, an eerie ear-splitting silence fell over the ship. It's as if time had slowed down to almost a halt, that's how it certainly looked like to Jack, except out of the corner of his eye, he saw Teal'c's dark eyes roamed the breath and width of the viewport of what he could see of the space outside.

Dread was creeping up to him despite his best efforts to keep it at bay. Jack felt his entire body growing cold his hands began to tingle and getting all sweaty. He strained his ears listening for any suspicious sounds coming from outside the hull. His eye twitched involuntarily as he joined Teal'c in scanning the space before them. Nothing. He stole a questioning glance at his friend. "Well?"

Teal'c said nothing as he checked his display screen again. If the proximity indicator was correct, the enemy should already be all over them by now.

"Maybe it got it wrong?" Jack suggested under his breath, along with that thought was a sinking feeling that they might've unnecessarily revealed themselves to the Goa'uld. Tau'ri and Jaffa looked at one another.

Just then a dark craft appeared on their starboard side, followed by another half a second later.

"Or not," Jack said, gritting his teeth, throwing the scout ship into a downward drop even the inertial dampener couldn't quite handle.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Static ended the radio conversation Army Col. Stephen Bennett had with their recon. He released the pressure on the earpiece of his throat mic and let his hand hang on his side. He looked up at the three individuals gathered around him.

"They're finding a place to set up camp while they're waiting for us at the mines."

"How many guards are we talking about here?" Maj. Lou Ferretti asked.

"From what they could see," Bennett's face was grim. "Close to a hundred."

"And the prisoners?" inquired Maj. Paul Davis.

"Close to _three_ hundred," Jacob answered, remembering the information on the message. "Have they found any sign of Malek yet?"

Bennett shook his head at Jacob. "There's just too much going on down there. It seems that the camp was hard hit when the earthquake struck. Iras says from what he could hear, there are people trapped inside the mines when it caved in. The prisoners are concentrating their efforts to rescue them."

Iras was one of the four Tok'ras that went with Jacob to Earth and the one who volunteered to do recon alongside SG-11's Lt. Cummins.

"It would be a good distraction," Maj. Paul Davis nodded. "It'll be a lot easier for us to infiltrate the camp unnoticed."

The military officers all looked at the Tok'ra agent gauging his reaction at the news. If Jacob noticed the looks they were giving him, he never showed it. Instead, he turned around to where the rest of their party was, resting a few feet behind them.

"Have someone keep an eye on them," Jacob said, looking at where Daniel and Jonas were sitting down. They were both preoccupied conversing with Ferretti's teammates that none of them noticed Jacob looking their way. The older man said it not out of spite but concern for their safety. They shouldn't even be there in the first place, but they just didn't know when to quit.

He remembered the conversation he had with Daniel by the Stargate, of what Jonas told the archaeologist that prompted the two of them to disobey the SGC base commander to follow them all the way there at the risk of their own safety.

Jacob was a good judge of character and immediately knew that Jonas was a good kid long before anyone at Stargate Command did. He showed promise on their very first mission together. Although Jacob had to admit that there's a reckless side to him that had on so many occasions led him to danger, that did not stop the Kelownan from doing what he knew in his heart was the right thing to do. Both he and Daniel were like that.

As Jacob thought about it, he came to realize that he, too, secretly wished that Jonas was right.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Sam Carter cried out in alarm from inside the cargo hold. The sudden maneuver made her momentarily lose her balance prompting Jack to quickly mumble out an apology.

A third fighter appeared right in front of them. Jack's heart stopped beating for a full second as he immediately cuts his dive. He did a tight barrel roll before leveling out, leaving behind the three-pronged squadron in their wake, but it wouldn't be long before they caught up with them again. Tel'taks were maneuverable vessels, but they were not built to face the smaller, more agile, and much faster fighters head on.

"Those aren't death gliders!" was Jack's outburst once he felt his heart started beating again. There was a nagging sense of familiarity with the circular design of the fighters, but couldn't put a finger on it.

"That was our assumption, O'Neill," Teal's replied, indicating the conversation he had with Anise earlier. "They are called henu'sek, the fighters that compliments a smau'Tep. It is the precursor of the present day death gliders. Master Bratac called it-"

"The needle-threader."

Jack nearly jumped out of his skin for a second time when he heard Sam's voice so close to his ear. What's she doing here out front? She was leaning so close to him that if he fully turned his head he could reach out and easily plant a kiss on her flushed cheek. Why the heck was she leaning so close like that? And what in the world was _he_ thinking!

She must've sensed him looking at her, but misinterpreted the look he gave her entirely. "It's the ship that Teal'c and Gen. Hammond used back in Hathor's planet to rescue us," she said. She popped open the hatch of the now defunct hologram console between the pilot and co-pilot's chair, and pulled out several control crystals, carrying them off with her back to the rear compartment.

That jarred the colonel's memory. No wonder the curved wing around the central hull secured on both sides by two horizontal airfoils looked familiar.

A fighter shot overhead, so close to the cargo ship, the proximity indicator was going off like crazy. The Air Force officer did another round of evasive maneuvers. He didn't forget that he wasn't onboard a fighter, and controlling the globular steering console was still a bit tricky, but he's doing his best to keep them away from the enemy's target range.

Another fighter surfaced from below, passing directly across their flight path. Jack broke hard to starboard. Another made another pass directly below them, again he evaded, leaving the fighter behind. They were popping up everywhere like great predators playing with their food before the kill. If only they had weapons, he'd shoot the bastards and be done with it.

He chanced a glance down the proximity indicator. A sudden thought occurred to him. The enemy had a lot of opportunity to take a clear shot of the tel'tak, counting how many times it entered their target ranges, but none fired a single shot. It was something Jack found very odd… unless they were doing it on purpose.

Without any warning, Jack tried to ram the closest henu'sek, but it deftly avoided the collision.

"Colonel O'Neill," Anise protested. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"That's the idea!" He attempted a second time, and still with the same result. Jack was wearing a tight smile on his face. It definitely confirmed his suspicions.

"Carter, how far out do you think that EMP can reach?" He could visualize his 2IC's mind going a mile a minute. "You think it hit that ship?"

"There are certain factors to consider," Sam began, thoughtfully. "The range and effectiveness of an electromagnetic pulse generated by a nuclear explosion is determined by the altitude of detonation, energy yield, gamma ray output, the electromagnetic shielding of targets-"

"_Carter._"

"It's a possibility."

A possibility. "Alright, I get it. So let's say that it did hit that Goa'uld ship, it's also possible that the fighters in her glider bay got affected, too, right?"

"Assuming that, then, yes. Even if it is a weak EMP, it would still cripple them to some degree."

"Like weapons?"

A pause.

"Colonel, you think that the reason they're not shooting at us is because…"

"They _can't_," Jack was smiling devilishly for the very first time since all this happened.

Teal'c finally spoke up. "That is a possibility."

"They thought we'd never see through their bluff," Jack allowed himself a small laugh. He wanted to hit his head against the console for not thinking about it earlier. Maybe their situation's not so bad after all. "Those things got shields?"

"I do not believe so," Teal'c replied, looking out the viewport. "Like the death gliders, they have no shields and hyperdrive engines. However, the likelihood that these fighters having been modified is also possible."

"But still vulnerable to an EMP attack," Jack thought aloud.

"Do you have a plan, Colonel O'Neill?" Banos inquired.

"I just might," Jack nodded curtly. He asked how long to fix the hyperdrive in which Sam replied that she needed a few more minutes. "I'll let them haul us in. We'll let them think that we still haven't noticed their lack of "force." I'll try to stall as long as I can. You have one minute to fix the hyperdrives and the shields."

_Thunk!_

The words were barely out of his mouth when the tel'tak shuddered violently, sending everything and everyone not secured flying forward. Jack braced himself against the controls to avoid getting smashed against the viewport. The impact was so strong it rattled Jack's teeth.

_Dammit, _the colonel screamed inwardly. _We're hit!_

Alarms rang overhead. A panel flashed angry red near Jack's left elbow. He recognized the markings on it, and knew that something had penetrated the hull. He tried to regain control of the ship, intending to keep it moving, but the helm was unresponsive, or rather its response was sluggish. The globe was shining a bright red which meant the helm was working fine, but the ship was moving at a snail's pace, like it was moving underwater.

"What the…" Jack mumbled out, feeling the sublight engines whining under considerable strain.

The words "tractor beam" came to mind, but ruled it out just as quickly. No ship the size of the henu'sek could possibly possess a powerful enough device to stop a ship as big as a tel'tak, or make that any ship for that matter. Goa'uld technology was advanced by human standards, but not _that_ advanced as with the Asgards and the Ancients. Besides, he discovered a second later that he could move the ship sideways without any problems, so the tractor beam scenario was thrown out the window.

He checked the range indicator. His brows furrowed as he stared at the small screen. "Uh, Teal'c, what's _that_?"

One of the henu'seks was directly behind them, and in between them was a line connecting the two crafts, flashing red along with the enemy fighter. Beside him the Jaffa said nothing as the latter continued staring bewildered at the display. "What is it, Teal'c?"

The big guy uttered something in Goa'uld. Realizing that Jack couldn't understand him, he took a moment to search his memory for the correct word in Tau'ri.

"Grappling hook."

Jack bolted upright in his seat. "What?"

"They have secured a grappling hook into the ship's hull with the intention of towing us back to the smau'Tep."

"_You've gotta be damn kidding me!_" Jack O'Neill bellowed out in rage.

"On the contrary, O'Neill," Teal'c replied, clearly not getting it. "It is one of the features on the fighter's original design."

"_You're telling me this now?"_ Jack gritted his teeth.

"It did not cross my mind that they would employ such a crude mechanism on an enemy."

"Colonel O'Neill, the engines might fail completely if you continue to push them too hard," cautioned Banos.

He heeded the Tok'ra's warning and eased a little on the sublight engines, but still had enough power to fight off the smaller craft's attempts at towing them towards the mothership. Jack growled out in annoyance. It felt like the enemy was always one step ahead of them, cutting off all possible escape routes. These guys were good at frustrating him to no end.

"The smau'Tep has begun to move," Teal'c informed them. "It is coming for us."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"We detected no weapons discharge just as master have expected."

"The explosion wiped out their capability to do so, being near the explosion as they were," the Goa'uld nodded, his long shiny black stresses flowing over his shoulders as he did so. "What of our long range communications?"

One of the beefier Jaffa flanking his right side turned his head to address him. "Repairs are still ongoing as we speak, but they assured us that it shall be operational before we reach al-Kahira."

The system lord nodded again. "I need to contact my first prime soon or he will likely have a fit," a ghost of a smile appeared on his handsome face. He heard the Jaffa's sudden intake of breath at his casual statement. Kalen's temper was legendary. They feared his First Prime more than they did him. "Of course, I shall intercede on their behalf. What kind of master am I if I allow discord to take root within my own household?"

The foot soldier bowed his head respectfully.

"Now then," the Goa'uld said, flicking his long hair back with an elegant hand. "Let us meet them halfway. I cannot wait to see what our fishing line has caught."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"They are in no hurry," Anise said a moment later. "They know we do not have the means to fight them off."

"We'll stick with the plan," Jack fiercely said once they were sure that the ship was not leaking atmosphere. He turned to look at both Banos and Sam. "You have one minute. Go."

Jack stood up and asked Teal'c to man the helm and to continue their tug-of-war with the henu'sek. Banos once again flopped behind the center console trying to repair their shields. Anise occupied the co-pilot's chair after checking on the still unconscious form of Inares.

The colonel popped his head inside the cargo hold. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked in a cheerful voice.

His 2IC looked up from her inspection of nearly two dozen colorful crystals inside one of the file cabinet-sized hyperdrive access panels. She pointed her thumb distractedly over her shoulder towards another open panel on the other side further down the cargo hold.

Jack inspected the crystals inside hyperdrive access panel number two. The cylindrical Goa'uld control crystals were all laid out in rows of varying length and color. There were a few empty sockets here and there, and also a few unlighted crystals.

Sam continued on with her explanation. "Concentrate on the unlighted crystals. There should only be four of them bunched together on your upper left, one in the middle and another on your right. The one on your right is the one we need lit. Its counterpart here burned out, and that's the one we want replaced. I'm going to try switching crystals around to see which one will work."

_Okay, _he nodded. Jack turned to look at Sam. Crystals were scattered all around her. Some were placed on top of one of the nearest crates, a few more were strewn around her feet. He looked at the panel in front of him. _I can do this, _he told himself._ How hard can it be, right?_

"These are the last crystals we haven't tried yet," Sam looked at him anxiously, indicating the handful of crystals in her left hand. "Let's hope one of them works."

They worked silently, only speaking in monosyllables. Despite the cool air circulating around the ship, Jack was sweating like crazy. Twice they thought they got the right crystal only to see the light sputter and die out leaving them both frustrated, and Jack short-fused.

"Here," Jack extended out the hand holding a pale watery blue crystal towards Sam. It got knocked off her hand when her elbow accidentally brushed against the edge of the panel. He quickly swooped down to retrieve it before it could hit the deck.

She smiled her thanks, and almost had it in her grasp when they were both nearly knocked off their feet. There was another _thunk! _quickly followed by a loud sickening sound of crunching metal as the ship continued to shudder. The crystal fell on the deck, rebounding a few times before rolling out of sight. But that was the least of their concerns.

Sam Carter tried to grab hold of the access panel, but it proved to be too far for her to reach. Her world violently careened sideways, about to collide hard against a pile of wooden crates. She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the bone crunching pain that was about to come.

A pair of strong arms suddenly grabbed her, wrapping her in a tight embrace against a warm, hard, and solid body. She felt an arm wrapped around her slim waist, the other protectively cradling her head. They stumbled here and there, but thankfully remained upright. Were it not for the support she would undoubtedly have been injured from being thrown around the cargo hold like a rag doll.

She still had her eyes shut when the rocking finally subsided. Above her, she heard the unmistakable voice of her commanding officer.

"What's happening out there?"

"They have attached another grappling hook on the tel'tak," was Teal'c's reply.

"Colonel O'Neill! Major Carter! Are you all-" There was no mistaking to whom that voice belonged to.

When Sam finally opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that she had her face nestled close against the curve of the colonel's neck. The second thing that caught her attention was how her hand managed to snake its way tightly around her CO's back. The third she noticed was the look of something akin to jealousy in the other woman's eyes.

"We have the shields functioning again," Anise calmly looked up at Jack then back at Sam who was still in his arms. "But we were not able to raise them in time."

Jack O'Neill held Sam at arm's length, his soft brown eyes searching her face for any hint of pain. "You okay, Carter?"

Sam nodded robotically, caught herself, and cleared her throat to utter the words, "Yes, sir."

Jack quickly let her go, suddenly conscious of Tok'ra staring at them. He threw a covert glance at the Tok'ra before giving his 2IC a curt nod. "I'll be right back," he ducked out of the cargo hold, leaving the two women alone.

"Are you all right, Major Carter?" Anise inquired with all sincerity a few seconds later.

"Yes, thank you," Sam replied, making herself busy with the access panel she was working on earlier. Anise's next words simply blew her away.

"Forgive my host, Freya, for her behavior a few moments ago," the Tok'ra said, watching her with unblinking eyes. "She was caught off guard with what she saw. We both know that she has taken quite a liking to your Colonel O'Neill," the symbiote unabashedly explained.

Sam could only smile weakly in return.

"We are at a deadlock," Teal'c said as soon as Jack stood beside him. "With the two fighters combined, they now almost have the same power as that of the cargo ship. None of us are gaining any ground. We are fortunate Banos had the shields running before they could attach a third grapple on us."

"How's the ship holding up?"

"We cannot extract anymore power from the engines without endangering them," the Jaffa explained. "In the current state we are in, only the shields can ensure our escape from this place."

"How're the shields doing?"

"Not at full capacity, but they will hold for hyperspace travel. The left shield took the brunt of the EMP burst. As long as that side does not get a direct hit, we will be fine," Banos explained.

"Finally, some luck coming our way," Jack muttered, lightly tapping Teal'c by the shoulders. The Jaffa understood, and obliged by returning to the co-pilot chair.

The Tok'ra cleared his throat. The two men at the controls looked at him. "We have also been able to bring our weapons system online, but"-he quickly added, seeing the delighted look on the colonel's features-"we are afraid it can only be used once."

Jack was crestfallen. "Once?"

"The connectors were badly burnt from the electromagnetic pulse it is a wonder we were able bring it to function at all."

Jack wanted to roll his eyes in frustration. Luck was coming their way alright. In trickles!

"Can we jump start her engines?" Jack asked his friend out of the blue.

Teal'c's brow lifted. "What do you intend to do, O'Neill?"

"Making sure we're not going _anywhere_ near that thing," Jack replied before calling Banos over.

- - - o 0 o - - -

A pair of a quick curt knocks on the door broke the stillness in the room. Its only occupant bade the person enter.

"Here are the requisition forms you asked for, general," CMSgt. Walter Harriman said once his salute was returned. He handed a short blue folder to the man sitting behind a huge oak desk.

Gen. George Hammond thanked him and placed the folder aside unopened along with a few others. "Also, have Dr. Fraiser to come down to my office as soon as she is able," and returned to the stack of papers he'd been reading earlier.

The chief Gate operator excused himself, and was about to open the door when Hammond called out to him.

"Is SG-8 ready yet, chief?"

"Yes, general," Harriman replied. "They're already gathered in the Gate room waiting for the techs to finish loading the equipment and supplies they're taking at the excavation site."

Hammond nodded absently, staring off into space. SG-8 was supposed to leave for their next off world mission tomorrow morning, but due to events that were out of his control, it would be better if they left earlier than scheduled. He suddenly remembered that Harriman was still there and quickly snapped out of his reverie to dismiss the chief sergeant with a curt nod of the head before returning back to what he was doing.

As soon as he heard the lock click into place, the general lifted his eyes at the door. With a sigh, he puts down the fountain pen he'd been holding on top of the stack of papers in front of him, and leaned back in his chair. He rested his chin on his hand as his mind went over the events that happened in the last forty-eight hours.

Yesterday Anise paid Stargate Command a visit, requesting that SG-1 accompany them to an uninhabited system to conduct tests on a planet where an al'kesh had appeared, released something of unknown origin above the planet and left as soon as it came. Small explosions erupted on the surface until the entire planet was engulfed into flames a few minutes later.

They were able to flush out the NID agent on the base early this morning, but they were still unable to get a confession out of him. He was already handed to the MP much to their disgruntlement, but they couldn't detain him there at the base indefinitely. Laurenti nearly escaped, but was apprehended soon after without any casualties, which Hammond was thankful for.

Then his old friend, Jacob Carter arrived asking for the SGC's help to rescue Malek who became a prisoner while working undercover for a minor Goa'uld System Lord named Merenptah on a planet called al-Kahira. It was rumored to be a naquadah-rich planet, undiscovered until about a year ago. Merenptah might only be a minor Goa'uld System Lord, but he was crafty enough to keep the planet's Gate address and its location a secret from everyone else. It stayed that way until about a few weeks ago when another System Lord came swooping in, wrestling the planet from his cold, lifeless hands.

Hammond agreed to render assistance, lending two of their SG teams to go with them. Like Maj. Davis he, too, had his doubts about the authenticity of the message the Tok'ra received, but they couldn't turn their allies away, more so when it's Jacob that was asking for help.

Then there's Jonas Quinn who insisted on coming with the rescue party, without any regards to personal safety. On two separate occasions he stated that he needed to be there because it would be disastrous to the party if he didn't. And Daniel Jackson… he went ahead and jumped through the Gate with Jonas in tow. Gung-ho heroics.

Hammond never doubted their good intentions, but they were both wanted individuals with the headhunters hot on their trail, that was his main concern. Even the Tok'ra was involved in finding out the Goa'uld that placed the bounties on their heads.

The Gate klaxon cut short his thoughts as the Stargate began to spin. Hammond left his office, and stood by the wide observation deck in the briefing room. He looked down to see SG-8 standing on one side watching the MALP carrying supplies and equipment roll into the Gate room.

Project 806, as everyone began calling it, had been continuous ever since they connected with the P3Y-806 Stargate nearly three months ago. On the planet they discovered two steles: one full of inscriptions that to this day still confounded Dr. Jackson, and another stele full of Stargate coordinates. One hundred and forty-two Gate addresses to be exact, plus one that was incomplete, the last two symbols erased for unknown reasons. They've visited sixty of these addresses, and so far, the off world teams had accumulated dozens like the so-called 806 inscription steles. This mission would be their sixty-first.

The dialing sequence complete, the Gate came to life. The watery blue of the event horizon shimmered as the MALP began to climb the ramp towards it. Once there SG-8 would walk a little bit further before reaching the excavation site where another SG team was on babysitting duty.

Capt. Brendan Griffith must've sensed someone watching them, and quickly looked up. Hammond stared back at the young man for a full minute before nodding his head down at him. Griffith returned it with a nod of his own. Good thing the captain was levelheaded about all this.

Griffith's men slowly marched up the metal ramp right behind the MALP. He must have said something to them then because they all looked back at him nodding their understanding, mouthing the words "Yes, sir!" and went on their way.

As soon as the Gate disengaged the general sighed deeply. There were so many things happening all at the same time he felt his head was going to explode. He was getting too old for this. It's not like something like this had never happened before, but all the excitement was proving to be too much for his nerves to handle.

He just hoped that when this was all over, everyone got to come home safe and in one piece.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Banos stared at him as if he'd finally lost his grip on reality.

"So," Jack inquired a second time when Banos simply continued staring at him. "Can it be done?"

"It is possible," the Tok'ra pointed out, his brows furrowing deeper. "However, _our_ sublight engines might completely fail in the attempt."

"If you got a better idea, I'm open to suggestion."

Banos exchanged a look of uncertainty with Anise. "We will see what can be done."

When the Tok'ras left them, Jack noticed his friend's sideways look. "What?"

"I think this is what the Tau'ri call a "harebrained idea", O'Neill," Teal'c said out loud, one brow raised in thought. "But then again it is with these kinds of ideas that mostly took us out of very dangerous situations in the past."

The colonel gave him an inscrutable look, but Teal'c remained silent. "How are we doing back there, Carter?"

- - - o 0 o - - -

_Please work, _was Samantha Carter's silent prayer as she slowly slid the remaining control crystal she had into the empty socket. She held her breath as she gently pushed it down to lock it in place. There was an almost inaudible click and-

Nothing.

"How are we doing back there, Carter?"

She started at the sound of her CO's voice. Sam rested her forehead on the hatch dejected, all strength drained out of her. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She could hear the conversation from the flight deck. Her commanding officer was not going to like it once she broke the news.

What was she going to do now?

"Colonel…"

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jack pushed the engines a little bit more, hearing it whine at the additional strain. Sam didn't respond. He was about to repeat his question when she finally answered.

"Colonel, I'm afraid the hyperdrive's useless."

"_What?"_

"None of the crystals worked, sir."

Teal'c cuts in, telling Jack that they had less than thirty seconds before the smau'Tep reached them.

Jack thought for a bit. "Are you sure you've tried _everything_?"

"Everything I could think of," Sam replied, frustration bled through her voice. "I took out crystals from auxiliary systems, dead consoles, and whatever's left of the spare ones the Tok'ra brought with them. I even took out crystals from the ones we don't need-"

The abrupt stop made Jack wary. "Carter?"

"Just go ahead with the plan, sir! I'm going to test something out."

"Wh-"

The tel'tak shuddered again, groaning like a large wounded beast as the sound of twisted metal reached their ears.

_Now what?_

"A grappling hook has come loose," Teal'c reported. "Whatever you are intending to do, O'Neill, now would be the time to do it."

Yeah. It was now or never. With only one small fighter tethered to them, its engines weren't powerful enough to completely stop the cargo ship from moving forward, but could still slow them down.

"Banos, on my signal!" Jack slowly added more power to the sublight at a steady pace, the engines protesting loudly. Banos said nothing as he once again took position behind the open center console panel.

Jack concentrated on the task at hand. The ship shook as they continued to strain against the remaining line that tethered them to the henu'sek. He was taking great risks at driving the engines like that, but he needed just about enough force to execute the plan he had in mind. This was their only shot to freedom. If the sublight engines wouldn't give out first, that is.

_Just a little bit more. A bit more…_

"_Now, Banos!"_

The Tok'ra quickly yanked the sublight crystal off the panel. The helm lights instantly died out, and the sublight fell deathly silent. Almost immediately the ship's occupants felt a definite backwards tug. Those standing up staggered a little at the sudden change in momentum. Outside, the only evidence they were moving were the stars on the edge of the viewport that seemed to be moving away from them.

Jack loudly counted to five. At the end of the count, the Tok'ra placed the crystal he had pulled out earlier back to its connector. For a second it seemed like nothing happened. Jack intently stared at the round apparatus in front of him. The helm lights flickered to life.

He immediately pushed the engines forward, pushed them to their limit. The sudden, and stronger pull of the cargo vessel proved to be too much for the unwary henu'sek, and like a puppet on a string, it trailed along helplessly behind the larger ship.

The sudden change in direction caused the cable between them to slacken momentarily. It was the opening Jack had been waiting for. He quickly pulled the cargo ship into a tight upward turn, almost spinning it on its axis, and fired a single shot at the cable that tethered them to the fighter in one fluid motion.

Just then Sam cried out from the back. "The hyperdrive, sir," she exclaimed. "Try it now!"

The cargo ship spun like some lazy gigantic aquatic creature as it continued the dive, the three henu'sek fighters chasing frantically after it. A hyperspace window started to form directly below them.

In a desperate bid to prevent the tel'tak from escaping, one of the fighters shot a grapple at the fleeing craft, but it bounced harmlessly on her shield, sending ripples of soft orange light through the length and breadth of the shield surrounding the cargo ship as it absorbed the force of impact.

The wormhole opened up to receive the tel'tak. The fighters started taking potshots at the fleeing ship to no avail. They only broke off their pursuit when the wormhole disappeared.

No one said anything for a while as they all either sat or stood there simply staring out the viewport as the cargo ship cruised through the blue and white hyperspace tunnel.

Jack O'Neill finally broke the silence, searching for his 2IC. "I thought you said you weren't able to find a replacement for that busted crystal?"

"I didn't, colonel," Sam answered truthfully. "_You_ did."

"Huh?"

Sam Carter smiled mischievously, showing those toothpaste ad-worthy teeth as she leaned against the bulkhead, waving a slender cylindrical crystal in front of her. "Toilet crystal."

- - - o 0 o - - -

The Goa'uld lord nearly rose from his chair as everyone in the pel'tak watched the display screen in stunned silence.

The atmosphere was rife with tension. Everyone in the pel'tak wouldn't dare lift their eyes to where the System Lord sat, and simply squirmed inwardly on where they stood.

They were so close. A few seconds more, and they could've captured the unknown tel'tak. If the First Prime was there it would have already been a volatile situation the second it happened. If Kalen was around, someone's head would definitely roll.

"Well, well," the Goa'uld finally spoke, his voice as calm and composed as always but there was a hint of amusement in it. "That was rather unexpected. They've managed to see through our fighter's lack of firepower and successfully deceived _us_ into thinking that we have them at our mercy. How unfortunate. I was really looking forward to meeting them personally."

He stood up, and headed for the door with the order to recall their fighters. "I would like to check the progress of our main engines. There is no more reason for us to stay here. I cannot wait to be on our way."

As he approached the door, the Goa'uld turned his head a notch over his right shoulder expecting to see someone there. It was purely out of reflex since he knew that the person he was looking for still needed "rescuing." He entered the main corridor, his personal guards trailing at a respectful distance towards the nearest ring room.

One more hyperspace jump, and they would be reunited with Maya again.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas Quinn casually looked over his right shoulder expecting to see someone there.

A pair of small bright yellow eyes stared right back at him from inside a hollowed out fallen trunk a few feet away from them.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

The Kelownan tore his eyes away to look at Daniel Jackson walking right beside him. They've been trekking uphill for a good twenty minutes now. The climb became dangerous after the strong earthquake loosened the snow and had taken them twice the length of time to maneuver through unseen holes, cracks and fissures. There was also the danger of an avalanche. Their going was so slow it felt like they were going uphill forever. They were all cold and sweaty at the same time.

Jonas watched as Daniel's breath turned to vapor as his friend exhaled. "Nothing," he shrugged, a little out of breath just like the rest of them.

Daniel looked skeptical. Jonas stopped to point out the eyes that were still watching them. Aside from the eyes, there weren't any other discernible features they could see. The creature must've sensed it was drawing unwanted attention unto itself. It blinked once before vanishing further into the trunk's darkened interior.

Daniel simply grunted, and turned to catch up with the rest. A shuttered look appeared across the Kelownan's face the moment his friend turned away, him following at a much slower pace.

_It_ was back.

Jonas sensed it the moment he stepped, or rather in his case, jumped, through the Gate, but it quickly disappeared as soon as they started moving. It once again made its presence known as they neared the naquadah mine with Jonas becoming more and more aware of it. The best he could describe that feeling was like a pair of eyes boring holes on his back watching him.

At first, Jonas couldn't see the point of telling anyone about it. He shrugged it off as nothing more but a heightened sense of awareness of his surroundings, coupled with his "abilities" honed during his brief stint as a member of SG-1. He thought he'd already gotten used to it since it started right after he returned to Kelowna. The presence, whatever it was, never once felt threatening. It was just that, a presence, watching him.

He believed that it was that same presence that showed itself out in the hallway when Jonas was cleaning out Rhougan Dubois' room at Stargate Command. That was the only instance he was aware of in the two months he'd been staying at the base.

Jonas stared at Daniel's back. Maybe if he told him about it...

No, he shook his head adamantly. He couldn't possibly tell his friend, not yet at least. He wasn't even sure what was happening himself. So far Daniel had been receptive of the things Jonas had told him about where others would most probably have given him a look of disbelief, and say that it was just all in his head. Daniel believed him, and that meant a lot. The two of them here, on al-Kahira, was proof of that.

He'd been relying on the anthropologist too much these days, Jonas figured it would be too much for one person to handle all the weirdness that surrounded him. He decided to get to the bottom of this on his own.

Their party finally reached the camp recon had set up ten minutes later. As the team prepared to settle in for the night, Jacob beckoned Daniel and Jonas forward.

"We're going to scout out the mines while there's still light. Want to come?" Jacob asked, face void of expression. The two young men looked at each other before nodding their heads in reply. The older man grunted. "Knew you would."

"Have they found Malek?" Jonas couldn't help asking. Jacob Carter grimly shook his head.

They continued uphill due west of the camp until they found themselves on a ridge where the Tok'ra Iras was patiently waiting for them, binoculars in hand. Jacob looked at him questioningly. When Iras shook his head, Jacob sighed tiredly.

Jonas Quinn had read about Goa'uld naquadah mines on SG team reports, but had never actually seen one until now. It was the same as any other Goa'uld owned mines everywhere else: huge and dangerous, the ever present master-slave system, poor living conditions and forced manual labor with the prisoners worked to death.

As far as they knew, Malek was the only Tok'ra prisoner among its ranks.

Jonas Quinn contented himself to listening at how best to infiltrate the camp as he took in every sight and sound unfolding below them.

Destruction was everywhere. The place was a hive of activity, mostly concentrated on the farthest side of the camp. It was where the mine was located, Iras pointed out to them. That section of the mountainside had collapsed during the quake, burying the mine shafts that once dotted its surface.

Around the camp, there were places where the ground had opened up. Smoke can be seen rising from some of them. Containers were tipped over, their contents strewn on the ground.

Dozens were injured, prisoners and guards alike. Injuries varied from person to person. Others were sitting up, a few were laid out on the ground. Those that needed medical attention were tended to. Two Jaffa prisoners carefully laid down a fallen comrade along with the rest of the dead several yards away. A female Jaffa was kneeling beside one of them, her head bent low to her chest, no doubt silently mourning for the dead.

Off to their right were the prisoners' quarters where dozens of large ill-kept makeshift tents huddled together in a haphazard way. Several Jaffa prisoners were there repairing toppled over tents or assessing structural damage to those sturdy few that remained standing. Another pair of prisoners was looking down at a burned down tent, each holding an empty bucket that had seen better days. They shook their heads as they spoke to each other, watching smoke rise from the charred remains of what once had been home to several Jaffa prisoners.

The same could be said true of the tents on the other side of the camp where Jaffa guards were also bent on their own tasks.

Of course, the prisoners' quarters would be the most obvious place to look for Malek, but Jonas found himself irrevocably drawn to a certain tent located on the _other _side of the encampment.

"He's there," the Kelownan softly said. Everyone fell silent. He turned to look at them. "Malek. He's down there right now," he repeated, this time with more conviction.

They all turned their heads in unison. The tents on that side were well kept and organized. Everyone stared at the tent Jonas was looking at. It was the largest tent in the group, and a single hulking Jaffa, with dark copper red hair, guarding the entrance.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Ferretti frowned in confusion. "But didn't he just point at that Goa'uld tent right down there, did he?" Iras replied that, yes, it was. More importantly, it was the Goa'uld overseer's tent. He craned his neck at the Kelownan. "Jonas, that's a Goa'uld tent."

Jacob searched the Kelownan's face. "You sure?"

Jonas' confidence faltered for a second, recalling how Davies voiced out his doubt at the authenticity of the information that the Tok'ra communications device held. He quickly regretted his sudden outburst, but the look of encouragement from Daniel was all it took for his self-doubt to disappear.

"Yes."

"But that's a _Goa'uld_ tent," Ferretti said a second time. "What could Malek be possibly doing in a place like that?"

"I know," the look the SG-2 leader gave him strongly reminded Jonas of Col. O'Neill. "But he's there. I don't know why, but Malek's definitely there."

Jacob looked from Jonas to Daniel. One wore the determined look of a man always wanting to prove himself, while the other stared right back at him challengingly. Jacob sighed.

This was going to be a very long cold night.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: **Sorry for making you guys wait. Hope it's worth it. Again, this is not beta-ed. Sorry folks.

_~ Best wishes, Hikaru. Love, Umi. ~_

**Chapter Spoilers: **_Stargate the Movie, Need, The Tok'ra pt.1, Deadman Switch, The Devil You Know, The Summit, Last Stand, Redemption pt.1, Homecoming_

* * *

_"The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it." _– Wendell Berry

* * *

**39**

The sun had long since set, but the day was far from over.

The death toll was climbing at a slow, but steady rate. Sixty prisoners dead, and the more the Jaffa dug deeper into the collapsed naquadah mine, the more dispirited they became. There were more dead found than the living. Jonas Quinn estimated that the number would rise to more than a third of the prisoners' population. And that was only a conservative estimate.

Were the prisoners in good physical condition, they would've lasted long enough for help to reach them, reducing the number of deaths considerably.

While most were focused on rescuing those still trapped in the mine, a small group of prisoners had started wrapping each corpse on strips of whatever clean cloth they could find. Another group had started building a huge pyre in the middle of the camp, all in preparation for the deceased's journey to the afterlife.

No one grieved openly, but the atmosphere around the mine was thick with death, sadness, and despair.

He sighed heavily. At least, Jonas thought ruefully, their bodies were found to give them all a proper burial.

_"We were having some transportation difficulties, and we couldn't leave our equipment behind. The camp was a half day's walk from there. Dr. Quinn said he would go ahead of us on foot and will have someone from camp bring around another vehicle to help us out."_

_"Some of us wanted to go with him, but he said that it would be much faster if he went alone."_

_"The day was clear, and our team had been going there for months. Dr. Quinn knew the lay of the land very well, and that pass was pretty straightforward. Even though it was some distance away from us, if something happened, we'd still be able to hear it."_

_"The last time we saw the doctor he was heading for the pass that cuts right through a jagged ridge. It was the only way out of there."_

_"We've widened the scope of our search, but there's still no sign of Dr. Quinn anywhere."_

_"Don't worry, Jonas. Everyone's doing everything they can to find your father. The Kelownan High Minister is monitoring the situation. Everything will be all right, you'll see."_

What began, innocently enough, as a half day's trek turned into one boy's living nightmare.

Jonas Quinn tore his eyes away from the night vision goggles to massage the bridge of his nose between thumb and index finger. There was a slight throbbing pain on his right temple that, if remained unchecked, could lead to a full blown headache.

There were four of them up there on the ridge monitoring the goings on below since they reached the mine five hours ago. Before daylight had completely given in to darkness they decided to split themselves into two groups to have a better bird's-eye view of the entire area as they could.

He teamed up with Maj. Paul Davis while Maj. Bennett and Iras were situated somewhere northwest of them. Along with the goggles, Jonas was provided with his own throat mic.

"Tired, Jonas?"

Wide green eyes turned to look at Maj. Paul Davis. Jonas gave the officer a lopsided smile, shaking his head. "No. I just remembered something."

"Good? Bad?" the major's face was illuminated by the faint light coming from the camp below them. He gave the Kelownan a sideways look. "Or should I even ask?"

Jonas shrugged nonchalantly. "Childhood memories."

That earned him a dubious look from the major. "At a time like this?"

Jonas shrugged again, lost for words. He silently watched the other man focus his attention back down the mine again. "Major, I would like to apologize for what happened in the Gate room earlier."

It was Davis' turn to shrug his shoulders. "Yeah. About that. Don't worry about it."

"You could've been seriously hurt."

"But I wasn't."

Jonas chuckled. "You're letting us off the hook too easily. Were I a betting man I'd bet everything I have that you're up to something."

"And if I were to take you up on it, you'd lose," Davis snorted.

Jonas smiled his thanks. If it were someone else, someone he and Daniel didn't know personally, the reaction would definitely be very much different.

"I'm surprised you didn't go down there with them."

"No. I'm good. Besides, Daniel's with them, and we've already inconvenienced Jacob as it is," Jonas answered. "I think the reason they let one of us tag along was because Jacob was afraid that Daniel and I might get this crazy notion to secretly follow them down the camp if they both told us not to."

Davies snickered. "Can't blame him."

And speaking of Jacob… "Did Jacob tell you why?"

The major nodded. "But I'm glad you did," Davis said. There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice. When the Kelownan didn't answer, he looked up to see Jonas staring at him in confusion. "If anything, two additional people on our side radically reduced the odds to 1:6. Guards still trapped in the mine excluded, of course."

Jonas gave a short laugh.

"And, as for me personally, it's a nice break from the monotony for something other than my brain doing all the work."

"Tired of sitting behind a desk pushing papers around all day, huh?" Jonas panned his sights a little to the left.

"Hey, I happen to like what I'm doing, don't get me wrong," Davis smirked. "I'm just saying that a little break from time to time won't hurt."

"Some break this is."

Davis chuckled. "Well, besides the possibility of getting killed out here, it's not that bad. It's been so long since I went on an off world mission that has nothing to do with politics."

"That stressful, huh?" Jonas turned sympathetic eyes towards him. The Kelownan knew very well how that felt like. "Anything you want share?"

Davis thought for a second. "Well, I guess it's okay to tell you. There's a plan of conducting a joint military exercise between Earth and one of our allies in the coming months, first ever. Gen. Hammond and I are currently helping the Pentagon draft out a proposal. Everything's panning out pretty well, well beyond our expectations. An informal meeting will take place in two weeks, and we've still got a long way to go, like choosing who are going to participate in it."

"All branches of the military?"

"Yes. The best of the best, but we're receiving some contentions concerning which F-302 squadron should participate."

The major was looking at him so intently like he was expecting Jonas to answer. He blurted out the first name that came to mind. "Colonel O'Neill?"

Davis nodded. "The Icarus squadron is the most obvious choice, but O'Neill has another squadron in mind. I don't know if you've ever heard about that exercise the colonel participated in three months ago?"

"You mean the one with the _Prometheus_?" Daniel Jackson had told him about it in passing. "Well, if the colonel thinks that this unit, the Cobra squadron, is the perfect squadron for the job then, why not? I mean, the colonel has been known to have a knack for these kinds of things."

"Agreed. His words certainly hold a lot of weight, especially within the Stargate program. He's also backed up by people like Hammond and Vidrine, so people are definitely going to listen. Hammond has the ear of the President, so I don't think there'll be any opposition coming from the Oval office. The colonel has my support, too, but many in the Pentagon are having misgivings about it."

"Because Icarus squadron is the flagship unit."

"Icarus has a lot more experience flying in zero-g, the most visible 302 fighter squadron in the entire Earth fleet, and yes, they are the flagship unit."

"Point. But my understanding is that they lost to the Cobras. Shouldn't that be a reward for beating the "best" squadron in the fleet? That will certainly help boost the morale of the Earth-based squadrons. Also, shouldn't all of them be given the same exposure? Put them in rotation with the _Prometheus_ so that they could have their fair share of zero-g fly time?"

"That's exactly what the colonel said."

_"There they are,"_ Bennett's voice came clear through their in-ear headphones.

Jonas pulled down the goggles and adjusted his field of vision, zooming out to get a better look of the general search area below them until he found what he was looking for: four figures stealthily moving through the shadows.

"Copy that, major," Maj. Davis replied. "Got them in our sights. Switching to vox mode now."

- - - o 0 o - - -

_"Took you long enough. We thought you guys lost your way getting down there."_

Daniel Jackson smiled, fighting the urge to look up the ridge once he heard the major's voice over his earpiece. Maj. Ferretti grunted nearby.

"Try going silently down a steep slope without disturbing the loose snow around you in the dark," the SG-2 CO replied dryly. "A hundred bucks if you can do it."

Daniel silently agreed with Ferretti. It was a steep downhill journey. Even though ambient light was reflected by the thick blanket of snow from the moonlight above them, they still had to wear night vision goggles to be able to clearly see where they were going.

Snow made the trek more treacherous. They had to be careful with what they brushed up against, where they stepped on, and they had to make as little noise as possible. Snow had an acoustical effect. In the same way that snow reflected light in all directions, it reflected sound in all directions which would then create a dampening effect, particularly if snow was falling and there's no wind. Yet, at the same time, any sound that was made would sound very sharp and clear to the ear. One could hear objects that were usually too far away to hear under normal conditions.

They could hear Davis chuckle over the radio. _"What's with guys and wagers today?"_

"How's it looking from up there, major?" Jacob inquired.

_"All clear,"_ Davis replied, all mirth in his voice gone in a split second. He proceeded to point out all guard positions, even the location of the nearest prisoners. They were all in agreement that no one should learn of their presence until they've found and talked to Malek first.

They were, at the moment, safely hidden behind some strange looking machinery on the outer edges of the camp. Ferretti was acting lookout crouched down a foot away from Daniel. Jacob was right next to him while Edrald was behind them watching their six. Their objective was to get to the overseer's tent as close as possible.

From where they were, all they could see was the top of the dark gray structure. The distance between them was roughly a hundred yards full of tents and crawling with armed Jaffa guards.

"He's been there for hours. What do you think he's doing in there?" Ferretti said.

_"Unless that tent has another way out that we can't see, he's still in there. Wish we brought thermals," _Davis replied over the radio.

It came as a surprise that the others readily accepted what Jonas said about the whereabouts of the Tok'ra. They could've pressed for more answers, but didn't. A thought came unbidden to Daniel's mind and slipped his tongue. "You think he's…?"

"Well, I don't hear any screaming," Ferretti casually replied, earning him a stare from Daniel. "Usually, that's a good sign in my book."

_"Does your book say anything about dead men screaming?" _Maj. Bennett asked.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Jonas carefully zoomed out again keeping their men at the center of his green screen alert for any sign of danger. They were still some distance away from the Goa'uld tent, and they had to go around the camp in order to reach it.

The tent, Jonas saw, was closed shut, most likely to prevent the cold from seeping in. The huge Jaffa with the shoulder length, dark copper red hair they'd seen earlier hadn't once moved away from his position by the tent's entrance. The thick muscles in his biceps bunched up as he crossed his arms in front of him; his staff weapon impaled deep into the snow beside him.

The Jaffa was truly imposing, Jonas thought. The man wasn't only huge, but tall, as tall as Teal'c, maybe more. He looked every inch a First Prime, but the tattooed symbol on his forehead told otherwise. "Do you recognize the symbol on that guy's forehead?"

Davis swung his goggles towards the Jaffa in question. It took him a while to answer. "No."

"Me neither," he pressed the throat mic with his thumb and index finger. "Iras, do you recognize the emblem the Jaffa guards have on their foreheads?"

He remembered how Iras first detested the idea of putting the throat mic around his neck back at SGC. His host was once a slave kept as a pet by a Goa'uld System Lord complete with a metal band and chain around the neck. He had lived like that for most of his life until he was fatally injured in a rebel ambush and was left for dead by his master when the Tok'ra found him.

If it weren't for Jacob, one of the very few people the host trusted, Jonas didn't think Iras would be convinced otherwise.

_"All of them are wearing the symbol of the Goa'uld Kalki,"_ was Iras' reply a moment later. _"But he was killed in a Tok'ra attack led by Selmak a few days prior to Anubis' invasion of Langara, Jonas Quinn. These warriors are now serving a new master."_

_"That's right. I was there when he died," _Jacob said.

The Kelownan frowned. "Any clues as to who it might be?"

_"There are several System Lords that have assimilated Kalki's forces after his demise. A huge bulk of them was distributed between the System Lords Yu, and Ba'al. There were also reports of a handful few flocking to Anubis," _Iras went on._ "However, we find their marks very curious."_

Jonas exchanged looks with Davis. "How curious?"

_"It's S.O.P. that a Jaffa's new master must remove the mark of the old master to that of his own to complete the assimilation process, so that he can be properly recognized by his peers as one of them," _Jacob explained. _"Unwilling to do so condemns a Jaffa into slavery. Therefore, he is sent to work in a naquadah mine where there is no hope of escape. Selmak could only think of one reason why these Jaffas are still wearing their old master's mark, if that's what they really are, and that is to conceal whoever it is that's really running the show here."_

Jacob Carter had painted a grim picture of what it was like to be a Jaffa, to live constantly under the mercy of their Goa'uld masters. Jonas had read about something like that from one of the SG-1 mission reports.

When Sokar was killed by the Tok'ra, Apophis took the opportunity to seize control over his dominion, his vast fleet of ships, and the almost limitless supply of Jaffa warriors that came along with it becoming, for a time, the most powerful Goa'uld System Lord in the galaxy. When SG-1 encountered Apophis again, there was not a sign of Sokar's mark anywhere. Apparently only the Goa'ulds knew how to remove the tattoos, and they had kept that knowledge from the Jaffa.

_"But I doubt that it's any one of them," _Jacob added firmly. _"None of our agents working for these System Lords have reported about any suspicious military movements these past three months."_

"So you think they're fakes?" Jonas frowned.

"Unless we capture one, and get him to confess, we'll never know for sure who these guys are working for," Davis remarked, thinking along the same lines. "Where'd he go?"

Jonas turned his attention back to the tent. The red-haired Jaffa was gone.

- - - o 0 o - - -

He felt the end of the armed staff weapon on his back as it nudged him forward none too gently.

"Move."

Malek winced as he felt another nudge, harder this time. He took a breath before stepping out into the cold night air, mindful of the weight he puts on his right leg. The Tok'ra looked around cautiously to see if anyone was around. There were a handful of prisoners off to the far left, but they never took notice of the pair.

They continued walking until they were of some considerable distance from the overseer's tent. The pressure on his back had lifted, and he heard the staff weapon being closed shut. Without a word the guard retreated back to his post the heavy footfalls fading behind him. The Tok'ra slightly turned his head to the side just in time to see a flash of dark copper hair at the edge of his vision before it disappeared in the darkness.

Malek winced as he slowly pulled the thick, fur-lined hood up over his head. He was fortunate to have walked away from the ordeal with only minor cuts, a scraped knee, a bruised chest, and sore left shoulder. He allowed himself time to alleviate some of the pain he was feeling enough to help with the rescue.

He started moving so as not to attract unwanted attention, but what he didn't know was that he already had eyes tracking his every move.

- - - o 0 o - - -

Thousands of light years away from al-Kahira, a reddish-green planet revolved around a yellow dwarf and its brown dwarf companion. The planet was teeming with life, a place untouched by Goa'uld oppression, but had been visited many times by the Ancients during their presence in the galaxy.

The inhabitants called the planet Ith. More than eighty percent of the planet was covered by land, and much of it was dominated by the towering ndiehna trees with its red golden heart-shaped leaves. These majestic trees could reach up to six hundred feet in height creating a thick continuous impenetrable canopy that sunlight barely reached the ground. It also effectively discouraged anyone looking down from the air. An occasional clearing appeared here and there some showing small patches of cleared land for agricultural use, a few showed small watering holes, while others simply showed thick undergrowth.

At the edge of one of these small clearings, a well-trodden path could be seen snaking back through the woods. At thirty yards a trail branched off the main path, turning sharply to the right. It further went back another ten yards and around the last bend, a modest looking log cabin stood at the end of the trail.

The log cabin was elevated two feet above the ground on stout wooden legs. The single slope roof had a slight inward bend, like a shallow gutter, that ran halfway across the middle part, and off to one side at a downward forty-five degree angle. What rainwater it had collected would then fall straight to a large circular wooden tub directly below it. Piles of wood were stacked neatly side by side. A short flight of steps led to the front porch where a chair and a small table stood on the right, the front door on the left. A wispy smoke lazily rose from a stubby stone chimney signifying occupancy.

The front door opened quietly, and out emerged a young girl that looked to be about eight years of age. She stepped barefoot out on the porch craning her neck to look down the road.

She pulled the string that held her hair in a pony letting her long, russet brown hair down framing her cherub face. It wasn't straight and shiny as she would have liked; it was curly and unruly, and that it was, as she would so aptly put it, "all over the place."

Dimples appeared on her cheeks when she grinned the minute she saw who it was that appeared around the bend. The child quickly tried to rearrange her dress and almost ran down the stairs when she realized she didn't have her shoes on. She bit her lower lip as she ran back inside to retrieve them. The door burst open a second later, and with a spurt of energy, the small child bounded across the porch jumping over three flights of steps to land on the ground with a dull thud.

"You're here! You're here!" the child cried out happily again and again, running towards the approaching figure.

The man was busily wiping mechanical grease off his face and hands when he heard the child's voice echo in the woods. He wore dirt-stained coveralls with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a pair of muscled forearms. He sported a pair of heavy, thick-soled work boots and a tool belt around his waist. On his left hip dangled a funny-looking visor and a metal canister while a mean-looking bolo machete was strapped securely on his broad back. He stopped dead in his tracks the minute he saw her there, and instead of returning her smile, greeted her with a disapproving frown on his burly face.

"What are you doing here?"

The girl stopped just a foot away from him and looked up. She had to really bend her neck back a bit more in order to do so. She was only three-and-a-half feet tall compared to his bulky, six-foot, four-inch frame.

"I came to see you," she chirped, her bright violet and blue eyes sparkling, unfazed by the sour look on his sunburnt face, "like I always do!"

The bear of a man was totally unimpressed. "You should be playing with other kids, not wandering off into the forest alone where it's dangerous."

"I've already played with them the entire morning," she answered. "And it's not dangerous anymore, not since you scared all the animals that eat people away from the forest so that I can come here and see you."

He rolled his eyes heavenwards. "I didn't do it because of you, Shorty. They kept destroying the traps I was setting."

He began to walk towards the cabin. She followed in a run/walk combination just to keep up. "I've been waiting for you for hours! I'm hungry."

"Then run along home then. I'm sure they've cooked something nice for you."

"But I want to eat ernana stew."

"Then ask someone at your house to cook it for you."

"I like yours bestest," she chattered on, brushing a wayward lock of hair off her face. The word "bestest" was her favorite expression of late, especially when it had everything to do with this man. "I never really liked eating it until I tasted your cooking. Ata's tasted like a stinky animal hide dried out in the sun, left out in the rain overnight, and dried out in the sun again. I like Ata very much, so I'll never tell her what I think of her stew."

Ata was their household cook, an old, kindly woman, and she loved her dearly. There were only a handful of things she really wasn't good at, and one of them was cooking ernana stew.

She followed him inside the house. She took off her shoes and placed them right beside his boots by the entrance. The child then jumped on the thick animal pelt that covered the small cabin's living room. It was soft, warm, and so thick that her feet sunk right in. She giggled because the fur tickled.

He left his tools on the table by the door and proceeded to the stone fireplace where he got a healthy fire going within seconds. There was a small round glass container by the fireplace, half-filled with his favorite concoction.

He always lugged around a cup of the dark brown liquid whenever he was at home or a canister whenever he went out into the woods. Simply put, she never saw him anywhere without it.

She went near the fireplace and sat on the hearth contentedly, resting her chin on her knees, feeling the warmth touching her skin. A delicious smell wafted towards her as the liquid in the glass pot began to heat up. She inhaled deeply.

Although his house was a bit ways away from town, she loved going there, even if it meant going through the forest alone. This was her secret place, and she wasn't going to share it with anyone for as long as she lived.

"Can I have some?" she asked sweetly, staring longingly at the pot by the fire. From the very first day she stepped inside his cabin, her senses were immediately overwhelmed by this wonderful aroma. If the smell was this good then to actually taste it must be better.

Although he was busy in the kitchen area and had his back to her, he knew what she was asking for. "It's not for kids." She groaned. "Aren't you worried you'd get into trouble with your father if he ever finds out that you've been coming here?"

"He's my _uncle_. And no, I don't. He doesn't care anyway." She crossed her arms, pouting. "And you're changing the subject."

"You know that's not true," he gently admonished. "And no, I am not."

She chose not to answer and continued staring at the fire instead. It was something she didn't want to talk about at the moment and was grateful that her friend hadn't pressed on about it. This was her special place, and unhappy thoughts were not allowed in her special place.

Everyone knew about the lone resident of this log cabin ever since he came to the village a few years ago, but he was still considered as a stranger despite the fact that they traded or bought wares from him. He made really beautiful things, and every household in town had a thing or two he created with his own hands. For her, nothing compared to his creations. His were simply the bestest.

She once tried to put a good word for him, but got reprimanded by Ata instead, saying that she should never mention his name in front of her uncle or anyone else in the village for that matter.

This whole business was admittedly confusing to her. She glanced covertly at him. The adults were wary, and the kids were afraid of him. Who wouldn't be? It was the very first time anyone from their community had encountered someone like him: aside from his huge built, his skin was lighter with a tinge of red, whereas hers and the rest of their community were olive-skinned. He explained it off as someone who lived far up north where it was always winter, and where the suns almost never shone. He said his kind rarely strayed far from their lands, so that was why no one had ever seen them before.

Everyone was dubious of his origins, but they also couldn't disprove his claims for the mere fact that no one living had ever seen his kind before. Although they had heard from nearby villages stories of winter people coming down from time to time to trade, such events were far and few in between.

It didn't help one bit that he always wore a scowl on his face. She kept reminding him that he'd never make any friends if he always looked like he was looking for a fight. He wore his dark brown hair long and had piercing blue eyes. He sported the same color on both eyes, a thing they found odd since everyone that lived there had _two, _and she was no exception: her left eye was the clearest blue while her right was a riot of violet and green.

Immersed in her own little world, her small fingers started moving across the hearth.

"Shorty," he called out from somewhere behind her. "You should have gone home when you saw that I wasn't here."

"I don't mind waiting," she reassured him, shrugging her small shoulders. Her given name was Orima, but he called her Shorty instead just to annoy her until the name stuck. "I knew you were going to be out in the forest by the time I got here. Maybe if you could tell me where you're going…?"

Orima turned to look up at him expectantly, and there it was, the infamous scowl had made an appearance just as she had expected. It frightened her at first, but she had gotten used to it after her third visit. Nowadays, no matter how much he scowled at her, or ordered her to go home, it was no use. She knew he really didn't mean any of it. In fact, she believed he liked her being there, but was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

"It's dangerous," he growled, giving her a stare that brooked no argument.

She remained silent for a full minute as she stared at him through narrowed eyes. Then with a theatrical sigh, the child returned back to her doodling. "To you, all places are dangerous."

"Shorty, _no place is safe_. Take my word on it."

"But I feel safe here with you. Are you telling me that I shouldn't trust what I feel?"

"More so with me, kid," he replied cryptically. His face was shuttered, not entirely meeting her eyes. "Never with me." She waited for him to explain. "Where I go everyday is not a place for little kids to play," he scowled again, ending the discussion with a wave of the hand and went back to his cooking.

"Can you at least tell me what you're doing out in the forest all day?"

"Working."

"Working on what?"

"Setting traps."

"Where?"

Her friend slowly turned back around to face her, resting huge hands on the edge of the table. "Hasn't anyone at your house ever asked you where you've been going all day?"

"I'm a kid. Kids play all day. As long as I get home before dark there will be no problem." It was her turn to frown. "You're changing the subject again."

He grunted. The smell and sounds of cooking permeated the air. He said something that was too low for her to hear with all the commotion that was happening in the kitchen.

"Without a fire, this place can get pretty cold very quickly," he said out loud a moment later.

"I _know_ how to start a fire."

"What were you doing here all this time?"

"Playing."

"You brought toys with you?"

Orima was so focused with her doodling she never heard his last question, nor did she hear him approach from behind.

"Shorty, I asked…" he began, but the tone of his voice suddenly changed. _"What is that?"_

She lifted her eyes up to him. He was staring at the drawings she did on the hearth and smiled. "They look pretty, don't they?" But her smile disappeared when she saw the slight frown creasing his forehead.

Suddenly he was kneeling on the floor beside her and gently turned her around to face him. Large calloused hands covered the entire length of her thin upper arms. He was intently searching her face. "Did you make them up?"

The child suddenly sensed something was wrong. She hesitated to answer, afraid that if she gave him the wrong answer he would get mad at her. She bit her lower lip in indecision.

He must've read her mind. "I'm not gonna get mad, Shorty. Just tell me. Did you make those up?" He said it in the softest voice she'd ever heard him use. She slowly shook her head. His frown deepened. "You've seen them?"

She nodded slowly, looking at his blue eyes nervously. Orima now saw genuine alarm in them, something that she'd never seen in those fierce eyes before. It made her worry.

"Where?" he gently prodded, there was urgency in his gruff voice. "Show me where, Orima."

He rarely called her by her given name. Without a word she shrugged free from his grasp and ran at the back of the room, through the door that led to his sleeping quarters with him right behind her. She marched purposefully towards a small wooden chest by the foot of the bed, and sitting at the center of the chest was a small metallic domed-shaped device.

_"Don't touch it!"_

Orima nearly jumped out of her skin, her hand reflexively recoiled away from the mysterious object. "Relax. Nothing happened when I touched it."

It was black and about the size of her fist. It had strange markings etched around it painted in yellow. These were the symbols she was drawing on the hearth. She looked up at him as he stepped between her and the object. It looked harmless, but why did he look so uneasy?

"You found it here?"

"No. It was on the top of the steps outside when I got here." Orima moved closer beside him staring at the object and question. "What is it?"

But he was already gone before she could finish her sentence. The little kid looked at the object one more time before running after him.

He was standing by the fireplace by the time she got out of the room. He ran a hand along the inner frame of the fireplace. There was a soft click, and a small panel popped open. She watched as he pulled something out of it.

"Did you see who left it?" She shook her head. "Did you notice anything unusual while you were here? Did you see anyone?" Orima shook her head a second time.

There was another soft click, but it was coming from the thing in his hand this time. The thing unfurled like it was alive. It was some kind of weapon she'd never seen before. "What's going on?"

Her friend donned his funny-looking visor, and he stood by the side of the window overlooking the porch. In a gentle, soothing voice he started giving out instructions. "Shorty, I want you to get behind the fireplace, pull that chair and use it for cover. Stay down and don't move from there until I say so, okay? Go!"

Orima did as told and pulled the biggest chair she could muster towards the far side of the stone fireplace away from the windows. It wasn't easy with the animal pelt impeding her efforts, but the frustration she felt made her forget her fears.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and the pounding in her ears was so loud she could barely hear anything else. Tucked safely between the stone fireplace and the huge chair, Orima dared chance a peek. He stood motionless looking outside the window. He looked totally different with visor on. The air around him was menacing, like he had every intention to kill, and it brought forth a long forgotten memory of what it felt like the first time they met. She shivered at the thought.

He stealthily moved across the room, window after window, and he checked the other rooms, too. Lastly, he went outside, but not before reminding her to remain where she was.

_What's taking him so long? _She wanted to call out his name, or maybe even run after him if she trusted her knees enough for them not to buckle out from under her. She couldn't see anything from where she was crouched down, so Orima strained her ears for any sound coming from outside the cabin, but apart from the usual woodland noise, there was nothing that stood out at all.

_What if he's injured and needs help? _Her stomach tightened at the thought.

Fear for her friend propelled her to jump out from her hiding place. She marched purposefully out the door with every intention of helping him anyway she could.

He was walking back to the cabin by the time Orima stepped out on the porch, visor and weapon on one hand while the other ruffled his already unruly hair. He looked up. "I told you to stay put, Shorty!"

"But you were taking so long I decided to come find you," she explained, rather defensively. "Did you find anything?"

He shook his head. "Whoever it was, he's long gone by now."

"What was that all about? What was that thing that he left you? You know what it is, right? What do you think he wants? Could he be from up north, too, like you?"

He seemed distracted as he ushered her back inside. He completely ignored her inquiries and made a beeline for the kitchen. He continued what he was doing, like nothing happened.

Orima angrily flopped back down on the rug by the hearth. The little girl sat there staring angrily at his back, crossing her arms, in a huff, on her chest. As she sat there silently calling him names, her eye caught sight of the symbols she had unconsciously drew on the hearth. She didn't know what they meant. He, on the other hand, certainly did, but chose not to tell her anything.

It wasn't one of the villagers, of that she was certain. They were good people despite their suspicions towards the outsider that was her friend, plus the object was unfamiliar to her, but the polished metal was similar to the things that could only be found inside this house.

Had he just been visited by one of his people? Was he friend or foe? What was that thing that she found sitting on the porch when she arrived? Was it left there as a message or a warning? What kind? Was he still out there in the woods watching them right this very moment?

She looked at him then down at the symbols. She remembered the look in his eyes when he saw them, and a twinge of fear sent chills down her spine. It didn't help any that she was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

She reached out and hastily erased the symbols with her small hand, as if doing so would make all her fears, and all the bad things gone along with it.

- - - o 0 o - - -

The temperature continued to drop as the night progressed, but no one seemed to notice, or that it was at its lowest ever. Every worker was drenched in sweat as they toiled throughout the night, but this time, they were not digging through snow and dirt looking for raw naquadah. They were searching for survivors.

The Tok'ra Malek worked alongside the rest of the prisoners hoping that the next one they pulled out from the rubble was alive.

He decided to pause for a breather when his body began to protest from the abuse. Malek struck the spade down on the ground and leaned his weight against it, favoring his right leg. He carefully pushed the hood back and shook sweat-drenched hair away from his face and eyes, the motion making him dizzy. The icy touch of the freezing cold night air on exposed flesh sent goose bumps along his fevered skin, teeth chattering uncontrollably.

In an effort to quell the sudden trembling of his body, Malek slowly expelled a lungful of air through slightly parted lips, breath vapor rising in the air. His chest stung a bit, and Malek couldn't hide the discomfort he felt rubbing his chest through thick clothing. He could've just gone back to the tent and continued to heal, but the thought of all those lives depending on those at the surface to rescue them kept the Tok'ra from seeking his own comfort.

All able-bodied prisoners were there hard at work trying to save as many lives as they could with time working against them. The naquadah mine was an enormous maze of connecting mine shafts that reached hundreds of feet below. As many as two hundred prisoners and one hundred guards were currently trapped inside them with no way out. And among those trapped was Nee'chos.

Their main concern was to locate the ventilation shafts that ran vertically from the surface all the way down to the bottommost levels of the mine and clear them out. These shafts were responsible for supplying the workers with breathable air. If these airshafts collapsed during the earthquake, the prim'ta, the larval Goa'uld, would be of enormous help. Goa'uld had the ability to keep their host/vessel alive in near vacuum for a period of time, but due to malnourishment and poor health the prim'ta could also be at their limit. If that were to happen…

A flash of red caught his eye. Malek raised one delicate brow as he turned to look, expecting to see a huge Jaffa with long red hair standing there. To his utter relief, it was just a piece of red cloth tied to a staff weapon one of the Jaffa guards was carrying, dancing in what little breeze there was.

The color sparked off a recent memory. Seconds before the ceiling collapsed, he saw a flash of dark red and felt a strong tug as someone grabbed hold of his tunic before he was bodily pulled out of harm's way.

Pulled was putting it mildly. It was more like being thrown violently backwards, released, and without anything to hold on to, rolled a few times before he was grabbed again, pulled up and half-dragged, half-carried away from the mine, tripping on more than one occasion. At that moment, he didn't know what was happening behind him or who had him by the scruff of his collar. All that registered in his mind was that the rumbling noise was getting louder by the second. What happened next was a complete blur.

It was Danem who woke up lying down on a clean cot inside Maya's tent. He was puzzled as to how they came to be there. The last thing he remembered was that Malek was having a conversation with Maya as they were getting back to the mine-

He quickly sat up, and he quickly came to regret it. A sharp stabbing pain in his chest made him stiffen knocking the wind of out him.

"What are you doing?" a female voice demanded.

"We have to go," he gasped, clutching at his chest. "Nee'chos is still inside…"

Maya stood beside the cot, arms akimbo. "And how are you going to do that?" She caught him before he fell headlong to the ground. "Ach. You can barely stand!"

Danem had no strength left to fight her so he let her push him back down to the cot. The movement further aggravated his chest, sucking air through tightly clenched teeth. It was only then he noticed that except for the bandage wrapped firmly around his chest, he had no top on. "How…?"

"Boudin secretly brought you in here while everyone was distracted," Maya explained, nodding her head towards the closed entrance of the tent. "You were fortunate that he was nearby when it happened. You should thank him. He usually doesn't go out of his way saving the enemy."

"The one with the red hair?" he croaked, remembering the vision. Danem felt a sharp sting on his lower lip. Frowning, he reached up to touch it and came away with blood on his fingertips.

So that was the name of the huge Jaffa that faithfully followed her around. He never spoke much, and he rarely left his post outside this tent to mingle with the other Jaffa guards. This Boudin guy must be a Jaffa of high rank. "Why'd he…?"

She handed him a piece of wet cloth. "He does not suspect anything. Boudin thought that you amuse me so he secretly brought you here," Maya looked intently into his eyes. "You are the host, are you not? You do not look, or talk like Malek."

"Were you that greatly indebted to the Tok'ra who saved your life that you're willing to risk this much for us? Helping us send the message to the Tok'ra was enough."

"I said I will help you get out of this place, and I intend to keep it. What good will my help do if you die before your friends arrive?"

Danem sighed. She's got a point. "Malek's currently preoccupied with healing our injuries," he said as he put the compress against his busted lip. She turned back to face him, eyes searching for any visible injuries. "They're not as serious as you might think. He's only taking a little longer to fix us."

"Then rest. You won't be of any help to anyone at the state you two are in." She shook her head as she turned her back to him. "If only Tok'ra uses the sarcophagus it would be-"

"Then Tok'ra would be no different from the Goa'uld."

"Ach. Don't be so overly sensitive, rebel. Would it really kill you if you use it once in a while?"

He shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"So let's say you were mortally wounded, and unconscious, and some ignorant fool, with the goodest of intentions, placed you inside a sarcophagus to heal you, are you going to hold that against them instead of being grateful that you're still alive?"

The host glowered at her. "The consequences of using the sarcophagus are what we're concerned about. It can quickly become very addictive, especially to the host. Tok'ra and host have a symbiotic relationship. Although Malek's the dominant party, our personalities, our thoughts, and beliefs influence one another. To suppress the host's personality is the way of the Goa'uld. If the host is compromised…"

She regarded him quizzically. Danem frowned. She didn't seem to understand what he was trying to say. Then an idea came to him. He peered up at her, searching her face. "Do you have any idea, any idea at all, what continuous exposure to the sarcophagus will do to a host?"

"I told you, I do not concern myself with matters that are of no importance to me."

Maya tried to be nonchalant about it, but there was something in her lavender eyes that told them otherwise. Danem couldn't shake off the feeling that what he said piqued her interest. It was something that they had previously thought to be a well-known fact about the victims taken in as unwilling hosts by the Goa'uld.

Maya didn't want to talk about it any further. She insisted that they rest a little more, heal a little more. The rest helped some: they were able to put some weight on their right leg. Tomorrow his aches and pains would be a thing of the past.

"That is enough, Malek. It is time for you to rest."

The Tok'ra looked up and saw Yarek towering over him. He quickly shook his head, embarrassed at being caught slacking off at work. "Nonsense. I can still do this." He started to lift the spade, but a large hand held it firmly to the ground.

"Your trembling and pallid features say otherwise," the Jaffa said.

Malek was about to protest, but the look on the Jaffa's face was enough to deter him from voice it out loud. "Very well," he sighed. "We will return as soon as we can."

Their tent was located near the back, a ways off from the mine. There weren't much people around, and as Malek treaded the well worn path alone, his mind was off somewhere else.

Yarek was both relieved and bewildered when he found him. He feared the worst seeing the devastation the earthquake left in its wake. He joined the search for other survivors, particularly Nee'chos and Malek, but there was no sign of them anywhere.

Malek tried his best to explain what happened, making sure that he omitted Boudin and Maya's participation in it. When pressed for the identity of his rescuer, Malek feigned not knowing, blaming it to disorientation due to a bump on the head.

Collapsed tents blocked his way, and it was difficult to traverse over them with a banged up knee. There was no other choice but to go around them, and that meant walking through a poorly lit area of the camp with barely any light. He made his way across heavy machinery and crates, distracted by a lot of things weighing heavily on his mind that he didn't notice when something moved in the shadows, silently closing in on him.

A hand clamped firmly on his mouth while another pinned both his arms effectively behind him. Everything happened so fast that he wasn't able to fend off his attacker and was dragged helplessly into the shadows.

Malek tried to struggle free, ignoring the pain in his chest and shoulder. He tried to shout, but the hand covering his mouth effectively prevented him from doing so. He looked wildly about. There were three white figures he could see, plus the one holding him from behind. They weren't Jaffa guards or any of the prisoners. One of them moved closer.

Breathing harshly Malek struggled in earnest, seeing stars around the edges of his vision as the pain worsened. He wasn't going down without a fight.

"Calm down, Malek. It's me," the figure standing right in front of him whispered urgently. Except for his eyes, his entire face was covered in white. "It's me! Jacob."

It took a moment for the information to register in his brain. As soon as it did Malek stopped struggling and stared incredulously at the familiar looking pair of dark brown eyes looking back at him. That voice.

The man quickly pushed the hood from his head and pulled away the mask covering the rest of his face. "You can let go now," Jacob Carter nodded to the man behind him.

They carefully placed him on the ground. Malek gritted his teeth. He was trying hard not to cry out when they touched his bruised chest. He held on to Jacob's' arm as he waited for the pain to go away. Malek was able to smile despite the pain. "It is good to see you, Jacob."

"You, too, my friend," Jacob said, returning his smile.

"We were beginning to think that no one was going to come."

"Yes, that," Jacob looked at the others. "We encountered a, ah, _slight_ problem with the Council. That's why we asked SGC's help in getting you out of here."

There was a rustle of clothes as the others began removing their masks and hoods so that he could clearly see their faces. Malek immediately recognized Maj. Ferretti and Capt. Edrald of SG-2, but the man standing beside Jacob…

"Daniel Jackson," the man introduced himself. He extended out a hand to him, smiling. "It's nice to be able to finally meet you, Malek. Jonas would be very happy to see you."

So this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, the one whose place in SG-1 was filled in by Jonas Quinn. The one who was said to have Ascended, but he eventually returned for whatever reason. Jacob had told him a lot about this man. He wasn't what Malek had expected of someone that had caused the Goa'uld great grievance so much that the Goa'uld wanted him dead. He had always imagined Dr. Jackson to be more like Col. O'Neill.

Malek shook the proffered hand, nodding in response. The handshake was a formal Tau'ri greeting between individuals, a ritual he'd learned from Jacob. "Jonas Quinn is here?"

"Can we continue this conversation somewhere else?" Ferretti interrupted. "Preferably somewhere that's safe."

"Major Ferretti is right," Malek stood up, assisted by Daniel and Jacob. "Come. Our tent is empty. You will be safe there."

Daniel hesitated. "What about the Jaffas staying there with you?"

"They know we are Tok'ra. They have been taking care of us since we were imprisoned. Do not worry. They will keep the knowledge of your presence here safe."

- - - o 0 o - - -

"The Goa'uld overseer?" Daniel uttered in disbelief a moment later.

The group was now inside Malek's tent safely hidden from any prying eyes. Except for Edrald who was sitting by the entrance acting as lookout, everyone else was huddled at the center of the tent. They chose to sit in the dark and simply relied on what little light was coming in from outside.

"In the beginning we could not believe it either," Malek said. "We thought for sure that the Goa'uld was simply setting up a trap since she found out we were Tok'ra."

_"She?"_ blurted Daniel, who quickly apologized, realizing he spoke out a little louder than he would have liked. Everyone turned their heads at Malek in unison.

"So what's her reason for helping you out?" Ferretti asked.

"She claims to owe a debt to a Tok'ra, and she was simply repaying it by helping us escape."

The major shook his head. "I don't like it. It's just too convenient for my taste."

Jacob nodded in agreement. "Malek, have you found out who this Maya is working for?"

"She would not tell us, but base on what we have observed so far, she appears to be someone very high within her Goa'uld master's ranks. The Jaffa with her follows her without question, especially the one named Boudin."

"Boudin?" Jacob was silent for a while. When he noticed everyone looking at him, he shook his head. "The Tok'ra has never heard of her before. If Maya is, as you say, a high ranking member of whomever she's working for, either she's a new player or her Goa'uld master is."

"We also have reason to believe that these men have never been under the service of Kalki. We dropped hints, but none of them seem to react to any of it," Malek said.

Jacob nodded. "We thought so, too. At a glance, it would be easy to guess the motive behind the cover up. However, we've never received any word from any of our agents about anything remotely like this in a while."

"She is neither Goa'uld nor Jaffa," Malek said. "We tried to convince her to come with us, but she turned our offer down. She looked like she wanted to, but something seems to be stopping her from leaving."

"Owing a debt aside, she sounds very much loyal to her boss," Ferretti sneered.

Something seemed to be bugging Daniel. "How did she know that you're Tok'ra?"

Malek looked a tad bit uncomfortable with the question. "Of the enemy, Maya is the only one who knows the truth about us…"

He went on to explain how their identities were revealed, and he even showed them the link Maya lent them. He took it off and let the others inspect the miniature device for as long as they wanted. Maya wouldn't know about it. It was turned off anyway. The one most interested in it was Daniel.

"I've never seen anything like this before," Daniel was staring at the small device in rapt wonder. "This is definitely not Goa'uld. Without any markings it's hard to tell, although I do know that Sam would love to get her hands on this one."

"Aside from our identity, we did not say anything that is relevant to the Tok'ra. However, there were two things she was very keen to know more about: Egeria, and the members of SG-1. They are here, are they not?" Malek nodded towards Daniel.

There was an inscrutable look on Jacob's face. "No. They were already gone by the time we got to Stargate Command. As for Daniel, circumstances warrant him to stay behind at SGC for his own safety. Same goes for Jonas." He looked pointedly at the archaeologist who seemed to be looking everywhere in the small tent but him.

"Jonas Quinn is here? Did he not return to Kelowna after Anubis was successfully repelled from his planet?"

"Jonas returned to SGC as the Langaran ambassador to Earth around the same time we completely lost track of you," answered Jacob.

Daniel was looking intently at Malek. "Was she specifically inquiring after any member of SG-1?"

"Not really. She wanted to know if we knew any of you personally," Malek caught the looks they were giving each other. "Why? What is the matter?"

"Hunters from all over the galaxy's been in a frenzy ever since Jonas returned to Earth," Ferretti explained. "He and Daniel are now at the top of every headhunter's list, with Jonas currently occupying the number one spot."

"There had been numerous attempts to capture them. Every time they went off-world, a headhunter or two would show up," Jacob explained. "The hunters knew exactly where they were, and when to strike; all had been very close calls. Jack finally had them both grounded at SGC for their own safety." Jacob threw another pointed look at Daniel. "Well, that _was _supposed to be the plan."

"But they are here…"

"Which means that the hunters are more than likely not far behind," Daniel admittedly said.

"What could the Collective want with them this time?"

"No. It's not the Collective, but a System Lord," Jacob replied. "We're not sure yet if the Goa'uld that offered the rewards for the two of them were one and the same, but the notices were posted almost at the same time. It could be a coincidence, I don't know. All we know for sure is that he or she is willing to part with a very large portion of their riches just to capture both of them alive."

"Anubis could be the one behind Daniel's bounty. As for Jonas…"

Jacob nodded his head. Anubis had a bone to pick with Daniel. "We're still trying to find that one out. Unfortunately, there isn't much to go on."

Malek was reading between the lines. "Are you thinking that Maya may know something more than she is leading us to believe?"

"Well, she works for a Goa'uld. She might have heard something," Daniel shrugged.

Malek nodded. "We will try, but we cannot guarantee anything."

Daniel cocked his head to one side before looking back at him. "Jonas says it's better than nothing."

"We'll discuss all of this later," Jacob interrupted. "Right now we have to plan how to get you all out of here-"

"We cannot. Not yet," interrupted Malek. "There are prisoners still trapped inside the mine, and we will not leave anyone behind."

Everyone looked at him in unison. Malek had a look of grim determination on his face. Jacob eyed him curiously. "All right, you have until dawn to rescue as many as you can," he held up a hand when Malek was about to protest. "That's all I can give you, Malek. Between the headhunters and Maya's comrades on their way here, we don't have much time."

Malek looked none too pleased about it, but nodded his head in agreement. Daniel looked at him apologetically. Without a word, he slowly stood up. So much for resting.

Ferretti half rose. He was undecided whether to help him up or to pull him back down. "Where are you going?"

"There's someone else whom you need to talk to. He can help us. Stay here. We will back shortly."

- - - o 0 o - - -

He turned his attention to the object that was sitting silently on top of the small squat chest on the foot of his bed.

Shorty had long since gone home. She tried ways of extracting information from him during the remainder of her stay, but they both knew that her tactics were too amateurish for the likes of him, and so the little girl reverted to throwing dagger looks at him from across the table while they ate instead.

He stared at it like it was alive, ready to spring at him at a moment's notice. He knew it would be futile to search for tracks around the cabin's perimeter, so he simply scoured the area to check if their visitor had left any other "presents" behind.

He didn't answer any of the kid's questions. Answering them would lead to more questions, and frankly, he's not in the mood for any of it.

He brought his attention back to the device. He knew what it was, knew what it held, and knew what it meant. The thought that it found its way to him was something he had never expected, not since he literally dropped out of existence when he became a wanted man many years ago. He made sure that before he went underground all traces of his whereabouts were erased that tracking him down would be next to impossible.

He chose this planet because it was isolated. It was not near any known space routes, and where the Goa'uld was practically unheard of, an ideal hideaway. He stumbled upon this backwater planet while pursuing someone whose crippled ship suddenly had a hyperdrive malfunction and suddenly opened a stable wormhole. Needless to say, he followed him through the wormhole, and they found themselves dumped in that part of the galaxy.

Someone had found out where he was hiding, someone from the same line of work to carry a device only people in their profession knew how to use and used exclusively. His little piece of paradise was now compromised.

With great reluctance, he reached out and grabbed hold of it. The device was quite heavy and cool to the touch. It was entirely coated in black with the symbols carved around it covered in gold; the same ones he caught the kid drawing on the hearth. The symbols were Goa'uld, and they represented his name in Goa'uld.

At the very top of the dome-shaped device was a small clear round crystal, it caught the fading sunlight as he mindlessly toyed with it.

_No sense prolonging the inevitable,_ he thought rather annoyingly. He laid the device on the palm of his hand and closed his fist over it. There was soft _whirr _followed by a brief flash of light. Two soft beeps followed a split second later before it finally quieted down to a low hum.

He opened his hand, and said in a low voice in Goa'uld, _"Tel cha arnok im tuk enum."_

The symbols glowed, and the crystal at the top of the device began to beam a small holographic projection in the air in front of him.

It was a slowly rotating image of what looked to be a young man with dark brown hair and dark green eyes. He could see no discerning features nor cared to inspect the image more closely. Underneath it, written in Goa'uld, were the words: _Elnak na lok'ar_ (To be captured alive).

What did this guy do to piss the Goa'uld off?

His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets when he saw the bounty on the man's head. This guy was worth a System Lord's ransom! Last time he checked the four-member team of SG-1 was the highest on the bounty list. Now, this guy was going to be on top of every hunter's to-do list. It would definitely be in his.

He quickly stopped at the initial thought. That was the old him thinking. Before, he'd immediately jump at any opportunity to return to the Goa'uld's good graces so that he could continue to support his insatiable addiction. As long as they had trading value, he'd care less if his quarry was guilty or innocent. As much as he loathed the Goa'uld he was powerless to oppose them, until the Tau'ri came along.

A recorded message began to play, snapping him back to reality. Because he had no intention of accepting the job, he didn't want to hear what the recording had to say. He stopped the recording, but left the hologram on.

He sighed. Every hunter would be breathing down this poor guy's neck. No place was safe for any man with a bounty that large hanging over his head, unless he got himself to an Asgard-protected planet, a Tok'ra cell or the Tau'ri (if he was that lucky). There was simply no way he could escape his fate.

And what about him? Someone had certainly gone out of their way to deliver this message without leaving behind any clue as to the identity or the intentions of the individual that left it. Receiving a hunter job from a Goa'uld meant that he was no longer a wanted man himself, or was it? Was this the real deal or a trap? Relocating might not be the best idea at the moment. He would rather sit and wait how this incident would pan out before deciding on what to do next. It didn't sit well with him, but it would be counterproductive if he just started running around the galaxy every time something like this happened without even knowing who or what was after him and why.

He closed his fist and squeezed the device lightly. The hologram disappeared in an instant. If this was indeed a real hunter job then he didn't want anything to do with it anymore. His hunting days were over, his addiction gone, and he was given his life back. He vowed never to return to that kind of life again.

And what should he tell Shorty? He pondered. The kid would never stop poking around unless she got a straight answer. He ruffled his hair in annoyance. It would've been much better if she wasn't the one who found the recorder. Now he had to think of what to tell her. He winced. He's not really good at explaining things, most especially to kids. Most of all, Shorty had this ability to know when someone was lying, and she always practiced that ability on him, much to his annoyance.

He swore._ I'll think of something._

With that in mind, he carelessly tossed the recorder aside and stood up. His body was craving for a hot cup of his favorite drink. Yeah, he'll think of something. He's good at lying through his teeth, and if that didn't work, then he could always just scowl his way out of it. It worked before.

After all, he was Aris Boch, one of the galaxy's greatest hunters. He was both feared and respected. No one in their right mind would even dream of going against him. Dealing with a little brat half his size was nothing compared to the dangers he faced during his headhunter days. This ought to be easy.

- - - o 0 o - - -

It was a tiny old thing from her past, one of only two in her possession that reminded her of who she once was. She was allowed to keep them not because he understood what they meant to her, but because he found such sentiments over a life, long past, amusing. A life she knew she could never return to.

It was a small black stone pendant that had a smooth, matte finish with a piece of coarse string still attached to it. The string had three knots placed at half-an-inch intervals with the middle knot tied around the pendant's suspension loop securing it in place.

Alone in the overseer's tent Maya slumped forward on the small table, resting her head on top of her folded arms staring at the pendant placed on a small soft light blue cloth.

It had the visible signs of wear and tear; the string looked like it was close to crumbling if not handled properly, and there was a single diagonal line that cuts right across the middle of the stone.

She stared at it like it was the first time she had seen it. Her lavender eyes followed every angle, every curve, every line, and every small detail as if she hadn't already memorized them by heart. She knew the number of individual strings that made up the cord that could once be comfortably worn around the neck, and yet counted them again as faithfully as if she was doing a prayer or an incantation.

A pair of smiling, gentle brown eyes surfaced unbidden in her mind's eye. She welcomed it, relishing the memory to its fullest knowing that she was safe to drown herself in them without the risk of getting caught.

She imagined him sitting right there beside her. He would put his outstretched arms on the table, and then he'd intertwine his beautiful, lean fingers together. He would smile kindly while he watched her, patiently waiting for her to tell him what was bothering her. She tried to shut him out many times, but he knew her too well. He knew that with her kind of personality, she wouldn't stay silent for very long. Sometimes she would begin by reminding him that she was not a child anymore, and not to treat her as such. His smile never faltered as he reached out to hold her hand.

_"They are here."_

The intruding voice jolted her back to her senses… and she actually caught herself smiling.

She pulled her head back, completely taken by surprise. It had been a while since she caught herself smiling unconsciously. It's not that she was incapable of such an emotion, but there was really no reason to be so.

Remembering that the Tok'ra was on the link Maya mentally shook herself, pushing the image in the farthest recesses of her mind, under lock and key. She quickly, but carefully wrapped the pendant in the cloth. She reached for a tiny stringed pouch, and she puts the pendant and cloth inside it. She grabbed the remaining item on the table, a round golden locket strung on a beaded necklace. It had linear engravings on both the front and the back. It silently popped open at her merest touch.

_"Maya, are you there?"_

_"Yes, sorry," _she answered distractedly as she placed the pouch inside it. _"You were saying?"_

_"The Tok'ra. They are here."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yes. I have just spoken with them. They said they will strike tomorrow at dawn."_

_"At dawn? Now is as good a time as any."_

_"I stalled for time. Nee'chos is still trapped inside the naquadah mine."_

_"Understood. How many are they?"_

_"Five, but they have brought along a few of our Tau'ri allies."_

Maya froze when she heard the word Tau'ri. Hesitantly, she asked, _"Is it, by chance, SG-1?"_

_"No."_

She was dismayed by the news. _"All right. Then I must prepare-"_

_"Yes. We think it is best that you leave this place before dawn."_

Her surprise quickly turned to anger. _"What?"_

_"We do not know what will happen tomorrow. It is better-"_

_"Are you worried for my safety, rebel?"_ Maya smirked. She could mentally picture the Tok'ra fidgeting at the question.

_"We thought it was only logical to warn you."_

_"Warning duly noted,"_ Maya sarcastically said. _"Don't worry. I will not blame you if anything bad happens to me; the probability of that happening is unlikely."_

_"See, I told you she's not gonna leave," _Danem buts in.

_"I was merely making a suggestion since we "owe her one" as the Tau'ri would say," _Malek replied rather defensively.

Maya's eyes narrowed. _"I am not a…" _she suddenly stopped. She nearly blurted out the word child. She took a breath, and composed herself. _"Look, I am grateful for your concern. However, I am a warrior, and I hate walking away from a fight."_

_"We understand, but if you ever change your mind-"_

_"I won't," _she said matter-of-factly.

There was a short pause. _"Then… see you in battle tomorrow."_

_"Likewise."_

Maya sat there and absentmindedly rubbed the golden locket with her right thumb, completely lost in thought.

- - - o 0 o - - -

A small white furry creature scurried across the ancient crater floor. It would stop every now and then, lowering its plump little body closer to the ground as it sniffed the frigid night air apprehensively. It didn't have much in way of defense against its natural predators, but it could run at fast lightning speeds when it found itself in danger.

For a moment, it froze as it stared at a single snowflake that landed on the top of its crooked little snout before it turned its attention skyward.

It began to snow.

It continued on its way, making a beeline for one of the small fissures in the crater wall when it suddenly halted right in front of the inactive al-Kahira Stargate. It turned its head cautiously towards it. The animal stuck his snout high in the air, and it sniffed with trepidation, whiskers twitching. Then without warning, it skittered as fast at its small feet could carry it across the snow-covered ground.

The sound the small animal's feet made as it scampered away from the Stargate faded into silence. The snow continued to fall, landing softly on the ground without the slightest noise. There was no wind, not even a breeze. The silence was deafening.

Then a grating sound began to intrude. It started as a low rumble until it gradually increased as the inner ring of the Stargate began to spin more rapidly. V-shaped chevrons began to light up one after the other, accompanied by a dull thudding sound at each lock during the dialing sequence.

There was a mechanical whine, followed by a loud _kawoosh, _as a burst of unstable energy sprung from the center of the activating Stargate. It quickly retreated as the wormhole stabilized itself revealing a calm watery-like surface, casting an eerie bluish-white light on the crumbling ancient crater walls and floor.


End file.
